Bernard 260
| Bernard 260 C1 | |
|---|---|
| Role | Single seat fighter |
| National origin | France |
| Manufacturer | Société des Avions Bernard (S.A.B.) |
| Designer | Sigismond-Georges Bruner |
| First flight | September 1932 |
| Number built | 2 (1 flown) |
The Bernard 260 C1 was a French all-metal, single-engine, low-wing monoplane with an open cockpit and fixed undercarriage, designed to a government single-seat fighter specification issued in 1930. After extensive comparative tests the Dewoitine D.500 was ordered in preference, though the performances of the two aircraft were similar.
The Bernard 260 C1 (C for Chasse or fighter, 1 stating single seat) was the last of a long line of Bernard fighters to fly. It was built, along with about nine different designs from other manufacturers, to a 1930 government C1 specification calling for a maximum speeds of 325 km/h (202 mph) at 3,500 m (11,500 ft) and 300 km/h (190 mph) at 6,000 m (20,000 ft). Landing speeds had to be less than 100 km/h (62 mph). In 1931 it further specified an increased specific static strength and raised all speeds by 25 km/h (16 mph) if a supercharger was fitted. A final amendment, made in 1932, was that supercharging was obligatory and that the fighter should be armed with four machine guns or two cannon or one cannon with two machine guns.
The 260 was the most advanced aircraft of the group of prototypes, equipped with almost full-span Handley Page slots as well as flaps on its low cantilever wing. The wing plan was straight edge and square tipped, with most of the taper on the trailing edge, its whole span occupied by ailerons and flaps which could be lowered together. The wing had a duralumin structure with a riveted metal skin. The tail surfaces had swept, almost straight leading edges, rounded tips and unswept trailing edges on the unbalanced control surfaces. The fuselage was built from two metal half-ovals joined vertically, with a riveted skin. The open cockpit was placed at the wing trailing edge, the fuselage tapering behind it. Each wheel of the 260's fixed, tailwheel undercarriage was mounted on a vertical, faired main leg, with a second strut behind forming a V and a third inboard to the fuselage underside. At the time of the first flight the wheels were enclosed in fairings but these had been removed by October 1932. Two cannons were fitted to the wing undersides, firing outside the propeller arc.
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