Bloch MB.150

Bloch MB.150
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Name	MB.150
Country	France
Manufacturer	Société des Avions Marcel Bloch
First flight	1937
Primary user	Armée de l'Air
Role	Fighter aircraft
Powerplant	Gnome-Rhône 14N radial engine

Bloch MB.150 The MB.150 was a French single-seat monoplane fighter developed in the 1930s by Société des Avions Marcel Bloch for the Armée de l'Air. Conceived amid European rearmament and contemporaneous with designs from Messerschmitt, Supermarine, and Polikarpov, the MB.150 family sought to replace obsolete biplanes then in service with units mobilizing for potential conflict. Development, constrained by industrial politics and engine availability, produced a lineage culminating in operational variants that saw service during the 1940 Battle of France.

Development

Design work began in the mid-1930s at Société des Avions Marcel Bloch under Marcel Bloch, against a backdrop of rearmament debates involving the French Air Ministry, Admiralty concerns, and procurement schedules influenced by international events such as the Spanish Civil War and the Italian invasion of Ethiopia. Early prototypes competed with designs from Dewoitine, Morane-Saulnier, and Caudron as the Armée de l'Air issued specifications to counter Luftwaffe trends exemplified by Messerschmitt Bf 109 developments. Industrial constraints, including supply from Hispano-Suiza, Gnome-Rhône, and Renault, and testing at the Centre d'Essais en Vol, influenced iterative changes. Flight trials and comparative evaluations at Villacoublay and other test centres delayed mass production while engineers addressed cooling, armament, and weight problems highlighted during trials against contemporaries like the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire.

Design

The MB.150 series featured a low-wing cantilever monoplane configuration with a stressed-skin fuselage and retractable landing gear, reflecting aerodynamic advances seen in designs by Messerschmitt and Supermarine. Powerplant choices centered on the Gnome-Rhône 14N radial engine after difficulties securing inline engines from Hispano-Suiza, affecting cowling, cooling, and forward fuselage layout compared with Dewoitine D.520 and Morane-Saulnier M.S.406. Armament provisions were planned to accommodate Hispano-Suiza 20 mm cannon and synchronized MAC 1934 machine guns, mirroring armament debates similar to those around the Bf 109 and P-36 Hawk. Pilot ergonomics, influenced by Royal Air Force and Luftwaffe cockpit practices, were revised for visibility and control harmony; controls and instruments drew on standards from the Service Technique de l'Aéronautique. Structural choices balanced robustness for combat damage with weight-saving techniques also adopted by companies like Fiat and Fokker.

Operational history

Operational deployment occurred as the Armée de l'Air mobilized for the 1939–1940 campaign. Units equipped with MB.150-derived fighters operated alongside squadrons flying Morane-Saulnier, Dewoitine, and Caudron types during engagements confronting Luftwaffe formations comprising Messerschmitt Bf 110 and Heinkel He 111 escorts and bomber streams. Maintenance and logistical constraints, including spare parts from Gnome-Rhône and armament from MAC, impacted sortie rates similarly to issues faced by Polish and Czechoslovak units earlier in the decade. Pilots trained under doctrines influenced by leaders such as Jean Darlan and Charles de Gaulle adapted tactics drawn from interwar studies and combat experience in Spain but faced the tactical and strategic pressures of the Battle of France and the Armistice of 22 June 1940. Surviving airframes after the armistice saw limited post-campaign use, internment, or capture under terms analogous to those applied to other French types.

Variants

Design evolution produced several variants addressing engine, armament, and aerodynamic refinements, analogous to variant series seen in German, British, and American fighters. Prototypes explored alternative engines from Hispano-Suiza and Renault, and adaptations included strengthened airframes, revised radiators similar in concept to solutions on the Hawker Hurricane, and progressively heavier armament packages reflecting trends towards cannon-armed fighters like the Bf 109E. Production models incorporated lessons from flight testing at Villacoublay and service feedback from Groupe de Chasse units, with later subtypes emphasizing range and firepower adjustments paralleling contemporaneous upgrades on the Dewoitine D.520 and Morane-Saulnier M.S.406.

Operators

Operators included the Armée de l'Air, with deployment to Groupe de Chasse and escadrille formations during the 1939–1940 period. After the Armistice of 1940, remaining airframes were subject to control by Vichy authorities or seizure by occupying forces, reflecting fates similar to aircraft operated by the French Navy and colonial air arms during the period. Pilot cadres included personnel trained at institutions such as the École de l'Aviation de Chasse and units commanded under higher-level commands coordinating with the Préfecture aéronautique.

Survivors and preservation

Few, if any, complete airframes survived the wartime period intact; preservation efforts paralleled initiatives for other interwar types like the Dewoitine D.520 and Morane-Saulnier M.S.406, involving museums in Paris and regional aeronautical collections. Fragments, drawings, and technical documentation reside in archives associated with the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace and company records from Marcel Bloch's enterprise, later reconstituted as Dassault Aviation, contributing to historical study and occasional static restorations.

Marcel Bloch Société des Avions Marcel Bloch Armée de l'Air Messerschmitt Bf 109 Supermarine Spitfire Hawker Hurricane Dewoitine D.520 Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 Hispano-Suiza Gnome-Rhône Renault Villacoublay Battle of France Spanish Civil War École de l'Aviation de Chasse Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace Dassault Aviation Jean Darlan Charles de Gaulle Centre d'Essais en Vol Groupe de Chasse escadrille Hispano-Suiza 20 mm cannon MAC 1934 Heinkel He 111 Messerschmitt Bf 110 Fiat Fokker Royal Air Force Luftwaffe Armistice of 22 June 1940 French Navy Préfecture aéronautique Groupe de Chasse Villeneuve-Saint-Georges Vichy France Bf 109E Poland Czechoslovakia Hawker Fiat CR.42 P-36 Hawk British Museum National Air and Space Museum Aviation week Air Ministry (United Kingdom) Service Technique de l'Aéronautique MAC Saroléa École de l'Aviation Civile Centre d'Essais French Colonial Forces Armée de Terre Paris Grandes écoles Armaments Commission Manufacture d'armes de Châtellerault Jean-Luc Pothier Paul-René Fonck Pierre Lavocat André Zeller

Category:French fighters 1930–1939