Latham 42 and 43
Latham · France · first flew 1924 · bomber
The Latham 43 was a French flying-boat bomber built in the 1920s for service with the French Navy.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × piston, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 15.6 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Two-bay unstaggered biplane flying boat
- Two engines mounted tractor-fashion on struts in the interplane gap
- Open gunner positions in the bow and amidships
A conventional two-bay biplane flying boat with an engine on each side mounted on struts in the interplane gap. The pilot sat in an open cockpit, with open gunner positions in the bow and amidships.
Specifications
- The Latham 42 and 43 has a length of 15.6 m (51 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 22.5 m (74 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 160 km/h (99 mph).
- Typical crew: 3.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Two Latham 42 prototypes with liquid-cooled Vee engines were evaluated by the navy in 1924, leading to a contract for 18 aircraft with air-cooled radial engines instead. The manufacturer designated these the Latham 43 and the navy the HB.3.
Variants
The two Latham 42 prototypes had Lorraine 12Da engines. The French production version had Gnome et Rhône 9Aa engines and 18 were built, and eight with Lorraine engines were built for Poland.
Where you'll see it
The Latham 43 remained in French naval service between 1926 and 1929, with Escadrilles 4R1 and 5R1. The eight sold to Poland served with the Morski Dywizjon Lotniczy at Puck.
Related aircraft
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