- Variants
- Operators
- Specifications (V AM C.2B)
- See also
- References
| name=PL.5 and PL.9 | image=Gpl5.jpg | caption=PL.5 }}{{Infobox Aircraft Type | type=Carrier-based fighter | national origin=France | manufacturer=Levasseur | designer= | first flight=1924 | introduced= | retired= | status= | primary user=Aéronavale | number built=24 PL.5, plus 6 PL.9 | developed from= | variants with their own articles=
}} |
The Levasseur PL.5 was a carrier-based fighter produced in France in the late 1920s, in response to the 1924 AMBC.2 (two seat carrier based fighter) specification issued by the Service Technique de l'Aéronautique (STAé).[1] It was a conventional, single-bay sesquiplane that carried a crew of two in tandem, open cockpits. Like other Levasseur naval designs of the day, it incorporated several safety features in case of ditching at sea. Apart from small floats attached directly to the undersides of the lower wing, the main units of the fixed, tail-skid undercarriage could be jettisoned in flight, and the underside of the fuselage was given a boat-like shape and made watertight. Four prototypes were evaluated by the Aéronavale in 1924, and following successful trials, an order for 20 machines was placed to equip the aircraft carrier Béarn, enterring service in 1927.[1] Six examples of a trainer version with a lower-powered engine were purchased as the PL.9.[1] Variants- Levasseur V AM B-C.2
- 3x prototypes with {{cvt|450|hp|order=flip}} Hispano-Suiza 12Ha engine
- Levasseur V C.2B
- 1x prototype with Renault 12Kd engine.
- PL.5
- production version with {{cvt|450|hp|order=flip}} Lorraine-Dietrich 12Eb engine; 20 built.
- PL.9
- trainer version with a {{cvt|330|hp|order=flip}} Hispano-Suiza 8Se{{clarification|there is no mention of an 8Se in any Hispano-Suiza engine articles / books, that I can find. Should it be 8Fe|date=February 2018}} V-8 engine; 6 built.
Operators- {{flag|France}}
Specifications (V AM C.2B){{Aircraft specs
|ref=Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1928[2], Aviafrance:Levasseur PL 5 C2B
|prime units?=met
|crew=2
|length m=8.615
|span m=12.366
|height m=3.22
|wing area sqm=37
|aspect ratio=
|airfoil=
|empty weight kg=1430
|gross weight kg=2030
|max takeoff weight kg=
|max takeoff weight lb=
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity=
|more general=
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=Renault 12Kd
|eng1 type=V-12 water-cooled piston engine
|eng1 hp=480
|prop blade number=2
|prop name=fixed pitch propeller
|prop dia m=
|prop dia ft=
|prop dia in=
|prop dia note=
|max speed kmh=200
|max speed note=; {{cvt|185|km/h|mph kn}} at {{cvt|4000|m}}
|cruise speed kmh=
|cruise speed mph=
|cruise speed kts=
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed kmh=
|stall speed mph=
|stall speed kts=
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed kmh=
|never exceed speed mph=
|never exceed speed kts=
|never exceed speed note=
|range km=800
|combat range km=
|combat range miles=
|combat range nmi=
|combat range note=
|ferry range km=
|ferry range miles=
|ferry range nmi=
|ferry range note=
|endurance=
|ceiling m=6000
|g limits=
|roll rate=
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate ftmin=
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude=
|wing loading kg/m2=55
|fuel consumption kg/km=
|fuel consumption lb/mi=
|power/mass={{cvt|0.101|hp/lb|kW/kg|order=flip}}
|more performance=
|guns= 2x fixed forward firing {{cvt|7.7|mm|3}} Vickers machine-guns in the forward fuselage, with 2x {{cvt|7.7|mm|3}} Lewis machine-guns on a Scarff ring in the rear cockpit.
}}
See also{{aircontent
|see also=
|related=
|similar aircraft=*Villiers II
|lists=- List of Interwar military aircraft
}}References{{commons category|Levasseur PL.5}}1. ^1 2 {{cite book |last= Taylor |first= Michael J. H. |title=Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation |year=1989 |publisher=Studio Editions |location=London |page=574}}
2. ^{{cite book |title=Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1928 |editor1-last=Grey |editor1-first=C.G. |year=1928 |publisher=Sampson Low, Marston & company, ltd |location=London |page=106c}}
{{Levasseur aircraft}} 6 : French fighter aircraft 1920–1929|Carrier-based aircraft|Levasseur aircraft|Sesquiplanes|Single-engined tractor aircraft|Aircraft first flown in 1924 |