Letord Let.1

The Letord Let.1 (also spelled Letort in some publications) was a military aircraft produced in France during the First World War, primarily as a long-range reconnaissance aircraft. Later versions, designated Let.2 through Let.7 were used in a variety of roles, including bomber and bomber escort. All were three-bay biplanes of unequal span with prominent and characteristic negative stagger on their wings. They were powered by twin engines mounted on short struts on the lower wing in tractor configuration, and had fixed tailskid undercarriage. Many of the subtypes were also equipped with a nosewheel to protect the aircraft and its crew from "nosing over" accidents while landing. The pilot sat in an open cockpit, with tail gunner in an open position amidships, and a third crewmember in an open position in the nose where he could act as gunner, observer, and bomb-aimer.

Some 1,500 aircraft were ordered by the Aéronautique Militaire between all the variants, with something like 300 actually produced before the end of the war.

Variants

 * Let.1 - initial reconnaissance version with Hispano-Suiza 8A engines
 * Let.2 - similar to Let.1, with Hispano-Suiza 8Ba engines
 * Let.3 - bomber version with Hispano-Suiza 8Ba engines
 * Let.4 - reconnaissance version with Lorraine-Dietrich 8A engines
 * Let.5 - bomber version with Lorraine-Dietrich 8Fb engines
 * Let.6 - (military designation CA.3) escort fighter with 37 mm cannon and Hispano-Suiza 8Be engines
 * Let.7 - bomber version with Lorraine-Dietrich engines