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Evolved by Ingenieur-General Vernisse and M Badie,
the VB 10 was an all-metal single-seat fighter powered
by engines mounted in tandem fore and aft of the pilot's
cockpit and driving contra-rotating co-axial propellers.
Thirty VG 10s were ordered off the drawing board in
May 1940, and work continued under the Vichy government.
The first prototype with two 860hp Hispano-
Suiza 12Y31 12-cylinder liquid-cooled engines was flown on 7 July 1945. The second prototype with
1150hp HS 12Z12/13 engines and an armament of four
20mm Hispano-Suiza cannon and six 12.7mm Browning
machine guns flew on 21 September 1946. A contract
for 200 aircraft had been placed on 22 December
1945 (this later being cut back to 50 aircraft), and the
first production VB 10 flew on 3 November 1947 with
1150hp HS 12Z Ars 15/16 engines and an armament of
four 20mm cannon. Production was cancelled on 21
September 1948 after completion and testing of four
series aircraft.
 | A three-view drawing (1638 x 1220) |
| MODEL | VB 10 |
| WEIGHTS |
| Take-off weight | 8860 kg | 19533 lb |
| Empty weight | 6230 kg | 13735 lb |
| DIMENSIONS |
| Wingspan | 15.49 m | 51 ft 10 in |
| Length | 12.98 m | 43 ft 7 in |
| Height | 5.20 m | 17 ft 1 in |
| Wing area | 35.50 m2 | 382.12 sq ft |
| PERFORMANCE |
| Max. speed | 700 km/h | 435 mph |
| Range | 1700 km | 1056 miles |
| Cannonball, housgerv(@)sympatico.ca, 17.11.2009 The engine being V type probably had reduction gearboxes at the front which would raise the propeller shaft high enough to enable the rear prop shaft to run down the V of the front engine. The front engine's prop. shaft was probably hollow and the rear shaft fit through it. Of course, the rear engine's reduction gear would be different from the fronts. it would have to turn in the opposite direction . Just a guess . | | leo rudnicki, leo_rudnicki(@)hotmail.com, 28.04.2009 The propellors were driven by single engines as on kawasaki Ki 64 and Macchi-Castoldi Mc-72. Contra-prop gearboxes weren't that easy. I can only guess that the .5 MG's must have been in trays under the wing since the wing seems pretty well used up by the cannons. And it is considered a twin engine airplane. | | Ian, taffwob(@)googlemail.com, 24.04.2009 Where were the 0.5" machine guns mounted? Would have been a full wing!!
Hell of an armament though. | | David Tuttle, dttsr(@)comcast.net, 04.06.2008 More than likely the two engines were tied together and the counter rotating prop gear box was mounted between the first engine and the props themselves. | | Jeffery Richards, jefferyramjet(@)yahoo.com, 30.04.2007 Greetings: Very nice looking airplane however I have a quesion concerning the prop shaft from the aft mounted engine, did it run thru the foward engine and if so how. I would think this aiplane is concidered a twin engine rather than a single engine. Thanks. |
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Do you have any comments about this aircraft ?
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