Louis Breguet V/STOL Rotorcraft
Société anonyme des ateliers d'aviation Louis Breguet
| Jeeps Volantes |
Lift + Cruise |
At the end of the 1950s, the French Army showed an interest in flying vehicles for troop transports, assault and
reconnaissance, but expecting them to be simpler than helicopters.
The first project was a twin-rotor system with a pusher propeller in a ducted ring at the rear
- Lift Power: two Turboméca Astazou turboshaft engines producing 400 hp each (300 kW)
- Cruise Power: Solar Aircraft Company T66 (then under development by the US Navy for its flying platform designs) turboshaft provided 55 hp (41 kW) to the pusher propeller.
- Total thrust: 2,300 kg (5,070 lb); 1.26 thrust to weight ratio
- Propellers: pusher propeller in a ducted ring at the rear
- Speed: 72 km/hr (38.9 kt)
- Maximum Altitude: 1,200 m (3,900 ft)
- VTOL Range: 72 km (38.9 nm) or 1 h endurance
- Width: ~ 3 m
- Length: ~ 5.5 m
- Height: ~ 2.6 m
- Empty Weight: 1,050 kg (2,315 lb)
- Gross Weight: 1,820 kg (4,012 lb)
- Crew: 1
- Capacity: 4
- 3-side-view
A second project looked at using four smaller rotors in a similar application, but without the pusher.
- Lift Power: 1,250 hp (932 kW) General Electric T58
- Total thrust: 2,350 kg (5,180 lb); 1.3 thrust to weight ratio
- Propellers: pusher propeller in a ducted ring at the rear
- Speed: 90 km/h (48.6 kt)
- VTOL Range: 60 km (32.4 nm) or 40 min endurance
- Width: ~ 2.5 m
- Length: ~ 4.5 m
- Height: ~ 2.2 m
- Empty Weight: 1,105 kg (2,436 lb)
- Gross Weight: 1,800 kg (3,970 lb)
- Crew: 1
- Capacity: 4
- 3-side-view
The two proposed designs failed to gain support by the French army due to the rapid progress of helicopters for
troop transport. In addition, the difficulties of control and high rotational velocities of these type of vehicles
necessitated expensive and complicated automatic stabilization devices and highly developed piloting skills.
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The Char Volant (flying car) was consider during the French involvement in Vietnam.
- Power: two Astazou engines with 500 hp (373 kW) each
- Gross weight: 2,600 kg (5,732 kg)
- Maximum overload weight: 2,730 kg (6020 lb)
- Capacity: 2 soldiers with 500 kg (1,100 lb) of payload
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The first project was a twin-rotor system with a pusher propeller in a ducted ring at the rear