Sud-Est SE.200 Amphitrite
SNCASE · France · first flew 1942 · airliner
The Sud-Est SE.200 Amphitrite was a large French six-engine flying boat airliner of the late 1930s, originally designated Liore et Olivier LeO H-49. It had a high-set cantilever wing and twin tails.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 6 × piston, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 40.15 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Twin fin |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- High-set cantilever monoplane wing without bracing
- Six engines
- Twin-fin tail unit
Look for a very large flying boat with a high wing carrying six engines, wing floats and a twin-fin tail.
Specifications
- The Sud-Est SE.200 Amphitrite has a length of 40.15 m (132 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 52.2 m (171 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 305 km/h (190 mph).
- Typical crew: 8-10.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Design began in 1936 for a transatlantic Air France service. The first SE.200, Rochambeau, flew on 11 December 1942; it was seized by German forces in January 1944 and destroyed in an RAF raid on 17 April 1944.
Variants
The original LeO H-49 design was to use six Wright R-3350 engines; the aircraft that flew had Gnome-Rhone 14R radials, with opposite-rotation engines fitted on each side. Early testing led to a modification of the tail unit.
Where you'll see it
Only the first and third airframes are believed to have flown. The third made its first flight on 2 April 1946 and was used for flight testing through the late 1940s, until a hard landing in October 1949 led to its scrapping.
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