BLOCH 210

The Bloch 210 (another designation: Bloch MB-210) was a French heavy bomber from the interwar period and World War II in a metal low wing structure. The flight of the prototype took place in September 1934, and serial production started in 1935. About 300 aircraft of this type were built in its course. Initially, the drive was provided by two engines Gnome-Rhone 14-Kdrs with 800 hp each. The length of this aircraft was 18.84 meters with a wingspan of 22.85 meters. The deck armament consisted of three 7.5 mm MAC 1934 machine guns. The machine could carry a bomb load of up to 2,600 kilograms. The Bloch 210 was developed at the Societe des Avions Marcel Bloch plant and was a new standard in the design of French bombers in the 1930s. Unlike other French bomb machines of the period, the Bloch 210 was a low wing, with a retractable undercarriage, good aerodynamics and a functionally designed fuselage. The machine, developed on the initiative of its manufacturer, quickly aroused the interest of the French air force. It is worth adding that in the course of operation, problems with overheating engines appeared, which were remedied by replacing the drive units. At the outbreak of World War II, the Bloch 210 machines were already rather obsolete and were gradually withdrawn from service. However, they took part in the course of the French campaign in 1940, and after its end, several units served in the Vichy state and in North Africa.