The Amiot 354, one of the lesser known combat planes built by the French just before World War 2 broke out, should be remembered not only as one of the most elegant aircraft of the period but also for its overall performance that was clearly above average compared to contemporary aircraft. However, in spite of these merits, this promising twin-engine bomber did not have a great career, being caught up in the confused situation that prevailed in France immediately before the war. Only 62 aircraft of the 351 and 354 series were completed and delivered before the armistice, and their career was nonexistent. Some of them reached the units without armament while others were destroyed on the ground by German attacks.

The ancestor of the 350 series was the Amiot 340.01 that took to the air for the first time on 12 June 1937. This aircraft was a transformed version of a prototype that had been designed as a postal plane and had subsequently been modified as a three-seat bomber powered by a pair of 920 hp Gnome Rhone radial engines. A series of official flight tests began in March 1938, and when they had been completed, the project was altered still further in order to make it more suited for operative needs. More powerful engines were adopted, provisions were made for a fourth crew member and twin fins and rudders were introduced. Apart from this, the aircraft retained its overall configuration of mid-wing monoplane with retractable landing gear. It was carefully studied from an aerodynamic viewpoint and featured a long, completely glazed cockpit, a circular section fuselage and a “transparent” nose in which the bombardier’s position was situated. In this form the new prototype, re-designated Amiot 351.01, made its maiden flight at the end of January 1939. Top speed was 298 mph at 13,120 feet, with a service ceiling of 32,810 feet and a range of 1,535 miles.

Parallel to the evaluation tests, the designers continued to work on different variants of the basic type, characterized mainly by the installation of different power plants. However, the versions chosen for production were the 351 and 354. The latter, in particular, once again adopted the original configuration of single fin and rudder and a three-man crew. During the year, orders were placed for a total of 285 of these bombers. Armament of the 351 was 2 7.5mm machineguns and 1 20mm cannon and the bomb load was 2,200 lbs.

Operational history

In May 1940, the Amiot 351/354 was in the process of equipping just two bomber groupes: GB 1/21 and GB II/21 based at Avignon. Though 200 were in the final stages of construction, only 35 were ready for flight. This situation was exacerbated by the fact that the Amiot 351/354 was constructed in three separate factories, two of which were later bombed by the Germans. On May 16, 1940, the several Amiot 351/354 carried out armed reconnaissance missions over Maastricht in the Netherlands – the first combat mission conducted by planes of this type.

By June, the Amiot 351/354 was also delivered for GB I/34 and GB II/34, neither ever flying them in combat. At that time, all Amiot 351/354 were based on the northern front. Three had been lost in combat, 10 in training accidents. All aircraft were ordered to evacuate to Africa on June 17, 37 surviving the trip. As their numbers were too few to effectively engage the Italians, their aircraft were sent back to Metropolitan France and their groupes disbanded in August 1940.

Variants

* Amiot 340: 2x 920 hp (686 kW) Gnome-et-Rhône 14P, single tail prototype (1)

* Amiot 351: 2x 950 hp (707 kW) Gnome-Rhône 14N 38/39, twin tail (17)(This number may be low)

* Amiot 350: 351 re-engined with 2x 920 hp (686 kW) Hispano-Suiza 12Y 28/29 engines (1)

* Amiot 352: 351 re-engined with 2x 1100 hp (820 kW) Hispano-Suiza 12Y 50/51 engines (1)

* Amiot 353: 351 re-engined with 2x 1030 hp (768 kW) Rolls-Royce Merlin III engines (1)

* Amiot 354: single-tail variant, 2x 1070 hp (798 kW) Gnome-et-Rhône 14N 48/49 (45) (This number is probably low)

* Amiot 355: 351 re-engined with 2x 1200 hp (895 kW) Gnome-et-Rhone 14R 2/3 engines (1)

* Amiot 356: 354 re-engined with 2x 1130 hp (842 kW) Rolls-Royce Merlin X engines (1)

* Amiot 357: high altitude prototype with pressurized cabin, 2x 1200 hp (895 kW) Hispano-Suiza 12Z 89 turbocharged engines (1)

* Amiot 358: 351 re-engined post-war with 2x 1200 hp (895 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1830 engines (1)

* Amiot 370: single-tail racer with 2x 860 hp (642 kW) Hispano-Suiza 12Yjrs/Ykrs engines, developed specifically for (later cancelled) Paris-New York race (1)

The Amiot 351/354 saw service with the Armée de l’Air (80?)

Total production (including prototypes): (86?)

Specifications (Amiot 354)

General characteristics

* Crew: Four (pilot, co-pilot, navigator, bombardier)

* Length: 14.5 m (37 ft 7 in)

* Wingspan: 22.75 m (74 ft 11 in)

* Height: 4.06 m (13 ft 5 in)

* Wing area: 67 m² (721 ft²)

* Empty weight: 4,270 kg (9,390 lb)

* Loaded weight: 11,285 kg (24,827 lb)

* Powerplant: 2× Gnome-Rhône 14N48/49 14-cylinder air-cooled radial engine, 780 kW (1,044 hp) each

Performance

* Maximum speed: 480 km/h (260 knots, 300 mph)

* Range: 3,500 km (1,890 nm, 2,100 mi)

* Service ceiling: 10,000 m (33,000 ft)

Armament

* 3 × 7.5 mm MAC 1934 machine guns or 2 × 7.5 mm MAC 1934 machine guns and 1 × 20 mm cannon

* 800-1,250 kg (1,760-2,750 lb) of bombs

Comparable aircraft

* Dornier Do 17

* Douglas DB-7

* Martin Maryland