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Potez 23

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Potez 23
Role Fighter
National origin France
Manufacturer Potez
Designer Henry Potez
Status Cancelled
Primary user France
Produced 1923
Number built 1
Developed from Potez XV
Variants Potez 25

The Potez 23 was a prototype French single-engine fighter biplane designed in 1923.

History

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The Potez 23 was built by Potez in response to the C1 fighter program issued by the STAé in 1923. The C1 fighter specification called for a speed of 240 kilometres per hour (150 mph), an armament of two forward firing machine guns, and both armored tanks and drop tanks.[citation needed]

The structure was made of wooden spars,[1] the fuselage was covered with screwed and glued plywood, and the wings, empennage, and tail were covered in canvas. Wing tethering[clarification needed] is simplified and builds on the experience gained on the Potez XV.[citation needed]

The aircraft did achieve the required performance and was not accepted for production. However, it was developed into the Potez 25.[citation needed]

Specifications

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Data from The Complete Book of Fighters[2]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 7.60 m (24 ft 11 in)
  • Wingspan: 10.50 m (34 ft 5 in)
  • Height: 3.12 m (10 ft 3 in)
  • Wing area: 32.00 m2 (344.4 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 1,115 kg (2,458 lb)
  • Gross weight: 1,540 kg (3,395 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Lorraine-Dietrich 12Db water-cooled V12 engine, 300 kW (400 hp)

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 225 km/h (140 mph, 121 kn) at 4,000 m (13,000 ft)
  • Time to altitude: 18 minutes to 4,000 m (13,000 ft)

Armament

  • Guns: 2× 7.7mm machine-guns

References

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  1. ^ "Potez 23".
  2. ^ Green & Swanborough 1994, p. 481
  • Green, William; Swanborough, Gordon (1994). The Complete Book of Fighters. New York: Smithmark Publishers Inc. ISBN 0-8317-3939-8.