The Breguet Br.1150 Atlantic is a maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft which has been in service with the French, German, Italian, and Dutch Navy since the Cold War. It was designed, developed, and produced by the French firm Breguet Aviation. It is a very effective and reliable, long-range maritime aircraft, whose systems and power plant have comprehensively been upgraded and improved a few times since its introduction in the 1960s. It succeeded the American Lockheed P-2 Neptune aircraft in European service.
Upon a NATO requirement, Breguet Aviation designed and built four prototypes for a maritime reconnaissance aircraft. The first prototype of the Atlantic first flew on October 31, 1961, at Toulouse. It was flown by test pilot Bernard Witt. After almost two years of flight tests, the first official order was placed on June 6, 1963. This purchase order comprised 20 aircraft for France and 20 for West Germany. The aircraft would officially enter service with the French Navy (Marine Nationale) on July 27, 1965, as the Breguet Br.1150 Atlantic ('Atlantique' in French). Around 130 aircraft would be produced. Today, as of 2026, it continues to patrol the seas, flying over the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, and the Mediterranean.
Technical Description
The Breguet Br.1150 Atlantic is a large, twin-engine monoplane. It has an all-metal, monocoque fuselage and straight, low wing, with dihedral angle. The wing leading edge is straight, while the trailing edge tapers towards the tip. Its high aspect ratio wing grants it good long-range cruising performance. A metal honeycomb sandwich wing skinning was designed with the purpose to minimize leaks from the integral wing fuel tanks. The aircraft is fitted with electronic countermeasures equipment and sensor, which is located on top of the tail assembly vertical fin. Meanwhile, the tail is fitted with a long tailcone extension boom, which contains the MAD (Magnetic Anomaly Detector). To carry out anti-submarine missions, it is also equipped with a Thomson-CSF search radar, which is capable of detecting a submarine snorkel up to 100 km. The plane has a pressurized cabin, big enough to lodge a crew of 12 men.
Specifications
Type: maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare
Length: 31.75 m (104 feet, 2 inches)
Wing Span: 36.30 m (119 feet, 1 inch)
Wing Area: 120.34 m2 (1,295 square feet)
Height: 11.33 m (37 feet, 2 inches)
Power Plant: two Rolls-Royce Tyne RTy-20 Mk.21 turboprop engines, each delivering 6,100 HP.
Maximum Speed: 658 km/h (409 mph)
Range: 9,075 km (5,635 miles)
Endurance: 18 hours
Service Ceiling: 10,000 m (32,808 feet)
Crew: 12
Armament: two torpedoes and up to 3,500 kg of depth charges or mines.
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Above, the Breguet Atlantic-1 in flight in the 1980s. Notice the Thomson-CSF search radar on belly of aircraft.
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