LEO C.30

Loire et Olivier Leo C.30 was a French-produced gyroplane (autogyro) from the interwar period and the early World War II period. The prototype flight took place in 1934. About 60-65 machines of this type were created in the course of production. The drive was provided by a single 175 HP Salmson 9Ne engine. The length of this aircraft was 6 meters, with a main rotor diameter of approximately 11.25 meters. The machine did not have a permanent on-board armament. Loire et Olivier Leo C.30 was in fact a license version of a gyroplane Cierva C.30, with a more powerful engine being used as the drive unit. Gyroplanes of this type were used by the French Army and the French Navy as reconnaissance and reconnaissance machines and - thanks to the possibility of hovering - as machines used to direct the fire of their own artillery. All Leo C.30 machines were either destroyed or lost during the 1940 campaign. As a curiosity, it can be noted that the label Loire et Olivier developed the Leo C.30 by creating prototypes or pre-series units designated as the C.30S as well as the C.301 and C.302.