The Potez 25 was a French, two-seat military aircraft used in different armed conflicts around world. In the 1930's, China employed this biplane against the Japanese. The Polish Army's air branch would also utilize it against the Wehrmacht in September 1939, during the German invasion of that country.
Developed from the 15S model, it flew for the first time in 1925. In the next ten years, more than 4,000 Potez 25 aircraft were produced in France, and about 300 were made under license in Yugoslavia, Portugal, and Poland. Two civil derivative versions were also manufactured, which were used in South America (Argentina and Uruguay), to deliver mail.
The Potez 25 three basic variants built for the French Armée de l'Air were the A.2 reconnaissance aircraft, the B.2 bomber, and the TOE for operations in overseas theaters. The bombload of the B.2 consisted of twelve 12-kg bombs, or four 50-kg bombs under the fuselage, plus six 12-kg bombs under wings.
Technical Characteristics
The Potez 25 was a two-seat, single-engine biplane. The fact that the upper deck was broader than the lower one made it a very maneuverable aircraft. four pairs of struts joined the two decks together and to the fuselage, which was made of timber, plywood, and hardened canvas. As with all biplanes, it had fixed landing gear.
Specifications
Type: Reconnaissance/Bomber
Length: 9.10 m
Wingspan: 14.14 m
Wing Area: 47 square meters
Height: 3.67 m
Power Plant: one 450-HP, Lorraine-Dietrich 12Eb, liquid-cooled piston engine.
Maximum Speed: 208 km/h (129 mph)
Range: 1,260 km (783 miles)
Crew: 2
Below, the Potez 25 in civil service in Switzerland in the 1930s
The French famous biplane in 1931
