Roussel R-30
Pierre Levasseur · France · first flew 1939 · fighter
The Roussel R-30 was a diminutive French fighter-bomber prototype, designed privately by Jacques Roussel and built at Pierre Levasseur's works as an answer to a 1937 government call for a lightweight fighter.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 6.1 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Small, compact low-wing monoplane fighter, noticeably smaller than contemporary Bloch or Morane fighters
- Single radial engine with a tight-fitting cowl
- Cannon armament visible in the wing roots
Its unusually small size for a monoplane fighter of the era, packing full cannon armament into a much smaller airframe than contemporaries, is its most distinctive trait.
Specifications
- The Roussel R-30 has a length of 6.1 m (20 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 7.72 m (25 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 520 km/h (323 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Similar in concept to the Bloch MB.150 but considerably smaller and lighter, the sole prototype was completed in 1938 and first flew in August 1939, armed with two 20mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannon and reaching 520km/h.
Variants
No variants were built; the single prototype was undergoing a more powerful re-engining when France fell in 1940.
Where you'll see it
It never reached operational service. During the evacuation to Bordeaux ahead of the German advance, the building storing the sole R-30 caught fire and destroyed the aircraft.
Related aircraft
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