Breguet 482

The Breguet 482 was a French four-engined bomber aircraft of the 1940s. It was designed prior to the outbreak of the Second World War, two prototypes were nearing completion when Germany invaded France in 1940, with one being flown after the end of the war as an experimental platform.

Development and design
In December 1936 the French Air Ministry issued a specification for a four-seat, twin-engined medium bomber, with Breguet's initial design, the Breguet 480 (or Bre. 480) to be powered with the specified 1,225 hp (914 kW) Gnome et Rhône 14L radial engines, which was meant to carry 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) of bombs over a 2,500 km (1,600 mi) radius. Gnome et Rhône abandoned the 14L however, so, after considering a version powered by two Hispano-Suiza 12Y V12 engines, Breguet reworked the design as the Breguet 482, with four 1,350 hp (1007 kW) Hispano-Suiza 12Z engines, with an order for two prototypes placed by the French Air Ministry on 12 May 1938.

The Breguet 482 was a mid-winged monoplane of all-metal construction, with a clean, low-drag, oval section monocoque fuselage, twin tails and a retractable tailwheel undercarriage. The planned defensive armament was a 20mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannon in a power operated dorsal position, with a 7.5mm machine gun in the nose and a further two machine guns in ventral mountings. Up to 2,500 kg (5,500 lb) of bombs could be carried.

Operational history
Construction of the two prototypes was well progressed when Germany invaded France on 10 May 1940, and in late May it was decided to evacuate the near complete prototypes from Villacoublay near Paris, with the first prototype being sent to Bône in Algeria and the second to the Breguet factory at Anglet, near Bayonne in the far south-west of France. The first prototype was destroyed during a German air-raid following the Allied invasion of French North Africa, but the first prototype remained untouched, despite the fact that Anglet had been occupied by the Germans since 1940.

When the Germans withdrew, Breguet resumed work on the Br 482, proposing to complete it with more powerful Hispano-Suiza 12Z engines and a heavier armament. The French Armée de l'Air had no requirement for a bomber, however, and it was decided to use the aircraft, with the planned modifications, but with armament removed, as a research aircraft. In this form it was finally flown for the first time in November 1947, being used for various experimental purposes, including testing of the 12Z engines.

Variants

 * Bre 480
 * Original design, powered by two Gnome-et-Rhône 14L radial engines. Unbuilt.


 * Bre 481
 * Proposed versions with two Hispano-Suiza 12Y engines and reduced wing area.


 * Bre 481 B4
 * Planned bomber version of Bre 481. Unbuilt.


 * Bre 481 Raid
 * Planned long-range record aircraft with further reduced wing area.


 * Bre 482 B4
 * Four-engined bomber powered by Hispano-Suiza 12Z engines.


 * Bre 482 No 1
 * First prototype - destroyed 1942.


 * Br 482 No 2
 * Second prototype, completed 1947 as three-seat research aircraft.