2 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Breguet 521-IMG 8698: Rama· CC BY-SA 3.0 fr
- 2. Breguet 521 photo Le Pontentiel Aérien Mondial 1936: Le Pontentiel Aérien Mondial 1936· Public domain
what is it?
The Bréguet 521 Bizerte was a long-range military reconnaissance flying boat built by the French aviation company Breguet.
How to recognise it: 3 piston engines with propellers · 35.2 m wingspan
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 93 years ago, in 1933.
- Top speed is 1.9× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 35.2 m: about 8 cars parked nose to tail.
- Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 3 African elephants (~6 t each).
- Range of 2,100 km: 12× Amsterdam to Brussels.
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1933-09-11
- introduced
- 1935
- number built
- 30
- role
- flying boat
- makers
- Breguet Aviation
- engines
- 3× Gnome-Rhône 14Kirs1
- crew
- 8
- length
- 20.5 m
- wingspan
- 35.2 m
- height
- 7.5 m
- max take-off weight
- 16.6 t
- top speed
- 243 km/h
- cruise speed
- 164 km/h
- range
- 2,100 km
- ceiling
- 6,000 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q905340, Wikipedia: Bréguet 521 Bizerte (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.