Besson MB.26

MB.26
Role	Reconnaissance or fighter floatplane Type of aircraft
National origin	France
Manufacturer	Besson
Designer	Marcel Besson
First flight	1925

The Beeson MB.26 was a French sesquiplane floatplane designed by Marcel Besson as a shipborne two-seat reconnaissance aircraft for the French Navy, but it was not ordered into production.^[1]

The MB.26 was a W-strut wing braced sesquiplane, the upper wing was attached at the top of the fuselage and the lower was below the fuselage.^[1] It had one main float under the lower wing and two stabilizing floats on the wingtips.^[1] This HB.2 variant was followed by a modified C.2 configuration to turn it into a two-seat fighter seaplane.^[1] The C.2 had a new round-sided fuselage, the HB.2 had a slab-sided fuselage, and a new tailplane.^[1] Neither variant was ordered or entered production.^[1]

MB.26 HB.2

Two-seat reconnaissance seaplane variant.^[1]

MB.26 C.2

Two-seat fighter seaplane variant.^[1]

 France

• French Navy

Data from ^[1] The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Length: 12.10 m (39 ft 8.25 in)
• Wingspan: 15.00 m (49 ft 2.5 in)
• Height: 3.70 m (12 ft 1.25 in)
• Wing area: 52.00 m² (559.74 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 1,665 kg (3,671 lb)
• Gross weight: 2,415 kg (5,324 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Lorraine 12Db inline piston engine , 298 kW (400 hp)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 180 km/h (112 mph, 97 kn)
• Service ceiling: 5,200 m (17,060 ft)

Armament

• One fixed forward-firing 7.7mm (0.303in) machine-gun
• Twin 7.7mm (0.303in) machine-guns on ring-mount at observers cockpit

Related lists

• List of flying boats and floatplanes