Bréguet 693

what is it?

The Bréguet 690 and its derivatives were a series of light twin-engine ground-attack aircraft that were used by the French Air Force in World War II. The aircraft was intended to be easy to maintain, forgiving to fly, and capable of 480 km/h (300 mph) at 4,000 m (13,000 ft). The type's sturdy construction was frequently demonstrated and the armament was effective. French rearmament began two years later than that in Britain and none of these aircraft were available in sufficient numbers to make a difference in 1940.

🔎How to recognise it: 2 piston engines with propellers · 15.4 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 490 km/htop speed
• range 1,350 kmwithout refuelling
• size 4,900 kgmax take-off weight
• built 230made in total

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 88 years ago, in 1938.
• 🏎️Top speed is 3.8× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 15.4 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🌍Range of 1,350 km: 8× Amsterdam to Brussels.

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

1938

introduced

1939

retired

1942

status

retired

number built

230

role

ground-attack aircraft

makers

Breguet Aviation

engines

2× Gnome-Rhône 14M-6 / Gnome-Rhône 14M-7

crew

2

length

9.7 m

wingspan

15.4 m

height

3.2 m

max take-off weight

4,900 kg

top speed

490 km/h

cruise speed

400 km/h

range

1,350 km

ceiling

8,500 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.