Breguet 690

Breguet Aviation · France · first flew 1938 · fighter

The Breguet 690 family were twin-engine French light bomber and attack aircraft that entered service shortly before the fall of France in 1940. Fast and well-armed for their era, they were used in low-level ground-attack missions with moderate effectiveness.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, tapered
E — Engines	2 × piston, wing-mounted
F — Fuselage	Compact twin-radial nacelles close to fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

Twin-engine French attack fighter with mid-wing layout
Glazed nose section for bombardier/gunner
Compact twin-radial nacelles close to fuselage

Distinguished by its short, rounded twin-engine fuselage with a glazed bombardier nose, mid-wing configuration, and closely spaced radial engine nacelles giving a compact, pugnacious appearance.

Specifications

The Breguet 690 has a length of 9.67 m (32 ft).
It has a wingspan of 15.37 m (50 ft).
Its maximum speed is 490 km/h (304 mph).
Typical crew: 2.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

The Bre.690 prototype flew in 1938 and led to the production Bre.691, 693, and 695 variants with differing engines. During the Battle of France in May–June 1940 the type flew dangerous daylight attacks against German columns, suffering heavy losses. Some examples were later operated by Vichy France and Italy.

Variants

The Bre.691 used Hispano-Suiza 14AB engines; the Bre.693 used Gnome-Rhône 14M engines and was the main production version; the Bre.695 used Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp Jr. engines.

Where you'll see it

Operated by the Armée de l'Air during the Battle of France; captured examples briefly used by the Regia Aeronautica.

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