Bréguet 850

The Bréguet 850 was a proposed twin fuselage, pressurized airliner studied by Breguet Aviation between 1941 and 1945. The project never advanced beyond wind tunnel testing, and was promptly cancelled shortly after the Liberation of France.^[1]

The Bréguet 850 project was conceived in 1941 with the intention of creating a high capacity, long range airliner/transport, presumably for transatlantic use. The aircraft had a very unusual design consisting of two fuselages, joined in between by a central wing. The cockpit would have been located in the front of the left fuselage, and accommodated 7 members of the flight crew - a captain, 2 pilots, 2 radio operators and 2 mechanics. The front of the right fuselage would have housed the cabin crew, consisting of at least 5 people. Behind the crew quarters, small passenger cabins were envisioned. The remaining space in both fuselages was unpressurized and designated for cargo storage.

Most passengers were to be seated in the aircraft's central wing connecting the two fuselages, which was accessible by a retractable staircase below the wing. At least two types of interior layouts were considered; a high-density layout seating 200 passengers with a cargo capacity of 10 tones, or a more luxurious 96 passenger layout including over 60 beds, lounges and a cargo capacity of 20 tones.

The aircraft was to be powered by 28 Hispano-Suiza 12 Z engines, and was to have 7 pairs of contra-rotating propellers, a single pair needing 4 engines to be operated.

The Bréguet 850 project and any derivatives were cancelled in 1945.^[2]

Bréguet 850

Original proposal

Bréguet 850 Seaplane

Due to concerns over the integrity of the aircraft's landing gear, a seaplane variant was proposed. Little to no development was undertaken.^[3]

Bréguet 851

Revised proposal designed to use only 6 contra-rotating propellers and engines. This measure was taken due to the difficulty of obtaining a sufficient amount of Hispano-Suiza 12 Z engines, as well as their reliability issues. The new engines were to be designed by Bréguet itself.^[3]

Le transport de 500 tones

An enlarged variant of the Bréguet 850; briefly considered shortly before the project's cancellation. The aircraft was to have a maximum takeoff weight of 500 tones and be powered by 60 Hispano-Suiza 12 Z engines.^[3]

Le transport de 1000 tones

A behemoth variant of the Bréguet 850; briefly considered shortly before the project's cancellation. The aircraft was to have a maximum takeoff weight of 1000 tones and be powered by 120 Hispano-Suiza 12 Z engines. It would have had a length of 110 meters and a wingspan of 192 meters, making it the largest airliner in terms of wingspan to ever be proposed.^[3]

Data from Cuny, Jean & Leyvastre, Pierre (1977). Les Avions Breguet (1940/1971) [Breguet Aircraft]. DOCAVIA (in French). Vol. 6. Paris: Editions Larivière.

General characteristics

• Crew: 12
• Capacity: 200 passengers
• Length: 57.6 m (189 ft 0 in)
• Wingspan: 90 m (295 ft 3 in)
• Height: 13.9 m (45 ft 7 in)
• Wing area: 880 m² (9,500 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 90,350 kg (199,188 lb)
• Gross weight: 196,300 kg (432,767 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 220,000 kg (485,017 lb)
• Powerplant: 28 × Hispano Suiza-12 Z V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine, 970 kW (1,300 hp) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 550 km/h (340 mph, 300 kn)

Cuny, Jean & Leyvastre, Pierre (1977). Les Avions Breguet (1940/1971) [Breguet Aircraft]. DOCAVIA (in French). Vol. 6. Paris: Editions Larivière.