Latécoère 298

what is it?

The Latécoère 298 (sometimes abridged to Laté 298) was a French seaplane that served during World War II. It was designed primarily as a torpedo bomber, but served also as a dive bomber against land and naval targets, and as a maritime reconnaissance aircraft. Of a sturdy and reliable construction and possessing good manoeuvrability, it was France's most successful military seaplane, and served throughout the war in various guises.

🔎How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · mid wing · 15.5 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 295 km/htop speed
• range 1,000 kmwithout refuelling
• size 4,533 kgmax take-off weight
• built 177made 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 90 years ago, in 1936.
• 🏎️Top speed is 2.3× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 15.5 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🌍Range of 1,000 km: 6× Amsterdam to Brussels.

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

spec sheet

first flight

1936-05

introduced

1938

retired

1951

status

retired

number built

177

role

torpedo-bomber seaplane

origin

🇫🇷 France

makers

Latécoère

engines

1× Hispano-Suiza 12Ycrs-1 / Hispano-Suiza 12Ycrs

crew

3

length

12.6 m

wingspan

15.5 m

height

5.3 m

max take-off weight

4,533 kg

top speed

295 km/h

range

1,000 km

ceiling

5,500 m

wings

mid wing

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