Letord Let.1

Let.1-Let.7
Let.1
Role	Reconnaissance aircraft
National origin	France
Manufacturer	Letord
Designer	Emile Dorand
First flight	1916
Primary user	Aéronautique Militaire

Let.7

The Letord Let.1 (also spelled Letort in some publications)^[1] was a military aircraft produced in France during the First World War, primarily as a long-range reconnaissance aircraft. Later versions, designated Let.2 through Let.7 were used in a variety of roles, including bomber and bomber escort. All were three-bay biplanes of unequal span with prominent and characteristic negative stagger on their wings. They were powered by twin engines mounted on short struts on the lower wing in tractor configuration, and had fixed tailskid undercarriage. Many of the subtypes were also equipped with a nosewheel to protect the aircraft and its crew from "nosing over" accidents while landing. The pilot sat in an open cockpit, with tail gunner in an open position amidships, and a third crewmember in an open position in the nose where he could act as gunner, observer, and bomb-aimer.

Some 1,500 aircraft were ordered by the Aéronautique Militaire between all the variants, with something like 300 actually produced before the end of the war.

Variants

• Let.1 – initial reconnaissance version with Hispano-Suiza 8A engines
• Let.2 – similar to Let.1, with Hispano-Suiza 8Ba engines
• Let.3 – bomber version with Hispano-Suiza 8Ba engines
• Let.4 – reconnaissance version with Lorraine-Dietrich 8A engines
• Let.5 – bomber version with Lorraine-Dietrich 8B engines
• Let.6 – (military designation CA.3) escort fighter with 37 mm cannon and Hispano-Suiza 8Be engines
• Let.7 – bomber version with Lorraine-Dietrich engines

Operators

 France

Specifications (Let.5)

General characteristics

• Crew: Three
• Length: 11.06 m (36 ft 3 in)
• Wingspan: 18.05 m (59 ft 3 in)
• Height: 3.70 m (12 ft 2 in)
• Wing area: 62.3 m² (670 ft²)
• Empty weight: 1,660 kg (3,650 lb)
• Gross weight: 2,450 kg (5,390 lb)
• Powerplant: 2 × Lorraine-Dietrich 8Fb, 180 kW (240 hp) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 156 km/h (98 mph)
• Range: 350 km (220 miles)
• Service ceiling: 4,870 m (16,000 ft)

Armament

• 2 × trainable machine guns in open position in nose
• 2 × trainable machine guns in open position amidships
• 300 kg (660 lb) of bombs

References

• Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 572. 
• Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1919. London: Samson Low Marston. p. 242. 
• aviafrance.com
• Уголок неба