These days, it is difficult to surprise someone with double-deck aircraft. Of course, when dozens of Boeing 747 and Airbus A380 passenger planes ply the sky, and real giants such as the An-124 Ruslan are engaged in the transportation of bulky goods, it is really difficult to do this. But in the early post-war years, that is, in the late 1940s and early 1950s, double-deck aircraft were a novelty. Great success in the creation of such aircraft was achieved by French designers, who presented a whole line of passenger and transport vehicles, including the Breguet Br.765 Sahara double-deck transport aircraft.
On the way to Breguet Br. 765 Sahara
Work on the creation of new double-deck aircraft, primarily passenger aircraft, began already at the end of 1944, when it became obvious that the war would soon end and Europe would have to return to a peaceful life. Breguet rightly believed that the market would need a new generation of passenger aircraft with a much larger capacity than the pre-war models. While the cannonade of the ending World War II was still rattling in Europe, the designers of the French company were working on the creation of a new passenger liner capable of carrying more than 100 passengers. The first double-deck aircraft of the company was the passenger Breguet 761.
The prototype of the new passenger aircraft received 4 Gnome-Rhone 14R radial piston aircraft engines, each of which developed a maximum power of 1,590 hp. The engines were manufactured by the French company SNECMA. The first flight of the new liner took place on February 15, 1949. The double-deck passenger aircraft was a classic all-metal midwing, with retractable tricycle landing gear struts. The main landing gear was made with two wheels. At the same time, more advanced and powerful Pratt & Whitney R-2800-B31 engines appeared on three pre-production Breguet Br.761S models, each of which developed 2020 hp. The crew of the new aircraft, which was unusual for aviation of those years, had an internal layout of 4 people.
Interest in the new roomy aircraft was predictably shown by both civilian and military customers. Already in 1951, Air France placed an order for 12 aircraft. The order was a great help for Breguet and for the first post-war years. At the same time, Air France initially expected to receive aircraft with improved performance and higher flight characteristics. The new model received the designation Br.763. The aircraft were distinguished by a modified wing design of a larger span, new engines of greater power and a crew reduced to three people. The aircraft used 4 Pratt & Whitney R-2800-CA18 piston radial engines with a capacity of 2400 hp. each. At the same time, the maximum take-off weight of the aircraft was already 51 600 kg, while the previous version of the machine was slimmer, its maximum take-off weight was 40 000 kg.
The first production aircraft Breguet Br.763 was received by Air France in August 1952. The new version also received its own name "Provence". The French airline operated the new aircraft in versions for 59 and 48 passengers, located on the upper and lower decks, respectively. There was a staircase between the upper and lower decks both in the front and in the rear of the saloon. Also in the aft section there are toilets and a room for flight attendants. At the same time, the maximum passenger capacity of the economy class cabin was 135 passengers. In addition to the passenger version, Breguet presented other versions of the aircraft: cargo-passenger and transport.
The plane also interested the French military, who tested the Breguet Br.761S model back in 1951, including for the landing of cargo using parachute systems. So the order for the creation of a military transport version was not long in coming. The aircraft presented to the military received the designation Breguet Br.765 Sahara; the model was planned to operate primarily for flights to the French colonies in Africa. The fuselage of the aircraft was reinforced, and the engines and performance characteristics, in addition to increasing the maximum flight range, remained practically unchanged. The first flight of the Breguet Br.765 prototype took place on July 6, 1958.
The maximum carrying capacity of the new aircraft was 17,000 kg, while it could take on board up to 164 paratroopers with full weapons. The takeoff weight of the aircraft increased to 54,300 kg, the maximum flight speed was 390 km / h, and the cruising speed was about 330 km / h. Speed performance clearly did not belong to the pluses of the new aircraft. The service ceiling was 7,500 meters, the practical flight range was 4,000 km. Visually, the Breguet Br.765 Sahara could be distinguished from the Br.763 aircraft by the presence of two wing fuel tanks.
The capabilities of the Breguet Br.765 Sahara transport aircraft
In terms of its capabilities, the medium double-deck transport aircraft Breguet Br.765 Sahara was a rather unique machine for its time. Unlike its civilian counterparts, the military transport aircraft was distinguished by a longer flight range (the military demanded that the range of a non-stop flight be 4,500 kilometers, this corresponded to the length of the Paris-Dakar route) and the ability to transport armored vehicles weighing up to 14 tons. These requirements included light French AMX 13 tanks with an FL 10 turret, as well as Panard EBR 75 wheeled reconnaissance armored vehicles armed with a 75-mm rifled cannon.
The new Breguet Br.765 differed from the passenger variants and the Br 763 aircraft only in the internal layout of the cargo compartment. The designers managed to free up a space of 92 cubic meters in the rear of the fuselage. This volume was quite enough for the transportation of various military equipment by plane: from armored vehicles and trucks to light tanks. For the transportation of bulky cargo, part of the upper deck in the cargo compartment was made removable. At the same time, the removable part of the upper deck could act as a ramp, which made it possible to load artillery systems with a caliber of up to 105 mm and GMC trucks on the upper deck of a military transport aircraft).
In this case, usually access to the upper deck of the aircraft was carried out using a special lifting platform. Also, benches were kept in the cargo compartment, which were foldable, if necessary, they could be easily dismantled. Thus, the plane could easily be used to transport infantrymen with all equipment and weapons. There were a lot of download options. Military transport aircraft Breguet Br.765 Sahara could transport by air:
- one light tank AMX 13 with an FL 10 turret or one wheeled reconnaissance armored vehicle EBR 75 and 3, 2 and 4, 7 tons of ammunition and fuel, respectively;
- three light fighter-bomber Breguet 1100;
- three tracked armored personnel carriers Hotchkiss TT and up to two tons of fuel;
- up to 6 105-mm howitzers M1 and 4, 2 tons of ammunition for them;
- two 105-mm howitzers, two tractors for their transportation, calculations and 5.8 tons of various cargo (ammunition, fuel);
- up to 8 jeeps and 8 tons of various cargo;
- up to 164 soldiers in full gear or up to 85 lying wounded on stretchers together with their escorts.
The fate of the Breguet Br.765 Sahara project
Fate prepared not the best life for the Breguet Br.765 Sahara aircraft, as well as the manufacturing company, which, rather, lost more on this project than gained. By the time the "Sahara" was really ready and began to enter the military, the fighting in Algeria, which had lasted since November 1954, came to an end. The need of the French army for transport aviation and the transport of military goods was falling. The order from the military for the release of the Breguet Br.765 Sahara was constantly reduced, reaching as a result quite ridiculous sizes.
Initially, the French Air Force estimated its need for new military transport aircraft at 27 aircraft, but this number was constantly decreasing. First, the order was reduced to 21, then to 15, and finally to a total of 12 Breguet Br.765 Sahara military transport aircraft. Such a small order could hardly contribute to the financial recovery and well-being of Breguet, which existed under this name until 1971, after which it became part of the larger French concerns, today it is an integral part of Dassault Aviation. Despite all the difficulties and a decrease in the order, in August 1955 the Breguet management decided to produce 12 aircraft. At the same time, to start serial production, it was necessary to carry out serious preparatory work, during which the enterprise underwent a reorganization. The construction of the series required the creation of a new assembly shop with an area of about 10 thousand square meters, as well as the distribution of work between enterprises located in three cities: Toulouse-Montoran, Anglet and Biarritz-Parm.
After all 12 gliders were ready, it became known that the military was ready to completely abandon the order. At the same time, four Sahara transport workers were already at the final stage of work. Representatives of the Breguet company did everything to save at least these, already almost completed machines, as a result, the state authorities replaced the cancellation of the order by reducing it to only four aircraft. The remaining 8 gliders of the Breguet Br.765 Sahara double-deck military transport aircraft were simply scrapped.
It so happened that, despite the small series, the most famous aircraft among all Breguet double-deck machines was the Breguet Br.765 Sahara military transport aircraft, by the name of which it was easy to understand that it was planned to be used for work in Africa. The customer of the project was the French Ministry of Defense. However, by the early 1960s, almost all French colonies located in Africa had managed to gain or achieve independence, so the need for capacious military transport aircraft to transport troops and cargo to the garrisons of the colonies disappeared by itself. A total of four Breguet Br.765 Sahara aircraft were produced, and the total number of Breguet Deux Ponts double-deck aircraft produced was 20 pieces. Their operation was fully completed in 1972. Only three examples of these aircraft have survived to this day, one in the performance of Br.763 and two in the performance of Br.765. All three are army vehicles in a transport configuration; passenger aircraft have not survived to this day. At the same time, the Breguet Br.763 aircraft is not in the museum, it became the basis for the restaurant, which is located in the small French town of Fontenay-Tresigny.
