509 DEWOITINE D.520C1

The Dewoitine D520 is a French fighter, full-metal, half-shell low wing structure from the beginning of WWII manufactured by SNCA. The first flight of the prototype took place in 1938, and from the beginning of 1940, the D520 began to enter the linear units under the designation D.520C1. Initially, the French air force ordered in 1939 only 200 pieces, but its size was increased, until in April 1940 it was already for the delivery of 2,320 machines (military aviation and navy). The serial machine was powered by a Hispano-Suiza 12Y-45 engine with a capacity of 930KM. Despite the implementation of very modern for those times production methods, until May 1940, only 32 aircraft were delivered to line units, although several dozen machines were delivered to them during the course of the fighting. This was because one D.520 required 7,000 man-hours to complete, compared to 4,500 for the Me109E. The first vessel to receive the D.520 was the Groupe de Chasse I / 3. During the 1940 campaign, the plane turned out to be a bit slower than the Me109E, but definitely more maneuverable, and with at least a comparable rate of climb. He was, without a doubt, as formidable a fighter as his Luftwaffe opponent. Units armed with the D520 shot down a total of 114 enemy masses in May and June 1940. The quality of the D520 is evidenced by the fact that it served in the Vichy State aviation until 1942, as well as was used by the Luftwaffe and produced for the needs of the allies of the Third Reich - mainly Bulgaria and Romania. After 1945, the surviving D520 served as training planes in the French Air Force until 1953. Technical data: Maximum speed: 560 km / h, rate of climb: 14.3 m / s, maximum ceiling 10000 m, maximum range: 1250 km, armament: fixed - 1 20mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannon and 4 machine guns MAC 1934 cal. 7.5 mm.