00:20The development of these big French bombers already started at the end of the 1920s,
00:25just before the aviation technologies started to evolve rapidly.
00:29And though they were considered modern designs at that time, their development was so long,
00:33they were already obsolete by the time they entered service.
00:36Despite that, they served in World War II, and the last of them only retired from service in 1944.
00:44These were the Me-0143 bombers, maybe the ugliest aircraft of World War II,
00:49but certainly an interesting design.
00:51So let's see the history of these aircraft today.
01:00Bombers were used since the First World War, when the aircraft first became part of the military
01:05forces, and they evolved rapidly during the four years of fighting.
01:10But after the Great War ended, the aircraft evolution slowed down, and during the following
01:14decades it stayed quite slow, until the tensions in Europe started to rise again in the mid-1930s.
01:21Most newly developed aircraft in the 1920s were still more reminiscent to World War I designs,
01:26using open cockpits, with barely any totes given to aerodynamics during their development,
01:31and many of the planes that appeared around that time were still classic biplane designs.
01:36The monoplane construction was still a new venture for designers.
01:41In 1928 the French officials released the M4 specification for a new multi-seat combat aircraft,
01:47which would need to be suitable for reconnaissance, long-range bombing, and escort missions.
01:52The AMEO company started to work on a new design for these specifications.
01:57This was their Model 140, which evolved into the Model 143 in the following years.
02:04The AMEO 140 was an all-metal monoplane design, which was cutting-edge at that time,
02:09and it was originally planned to be powered by two Lorraine 18G engines.
02:13But since these were not available in time, the prototype instead used two 650hp Hispano Suiza 12 models.
02:22The bomber featured a rectangular fuselage with a huge nacelle at the bottom,
02:26and as most other aircraft of the time, it used an open cockpit for the pilots and open gun positions.
02:32The wings of the aircraft were thick enough, so the crew could access the engines during flight if needed.
02:38It also used another interesting safety feature.
02:41The bomber had six separate fuel tanks, and in case of fire, any of those could be jettisoned from the
02:47aircraft.
02:48Though the AMEO 140 with its high-wing monoplane construction was a fairly modern design for the time,
02:54but with its bad aerodynamics and planned combat weight of 5690 kg, the aircraft only had a top speed of
03:02242 km an hour,
03:04and its bomb load was only around 900 kg.
03:07Not very impressive numbers, even by late 1920s standards.
03:13The Type 1 flew in 1931, but it was of course not the only design offered for the specifications.
03:19And if we look at the planes participating in this competition, we can see the French designers of the time,
03:25or followed similar approach using a rectangular fuselage.
03:28And a list of these planes looks more like a collection of bizarre steampunk machines, rather than World War II
03:34bombers.
03:35Including of course the AMEO 140, and its competitors the Blerio 137, the Brogay 410, the SPC A30,
03:45the Bacalan DB20, the Avimata 121, and the Neuport NID 53.
03:53In the end, only three models left competing to win the tender.
03:56The AMEO, the Blerio, and the Brogay designs.
04:00And from these three, the AMEO 140 won the competition.
04:03An order was issued for the Type in November 1933 for 40 aircraft,
04:08which were to be upgraded with the 900hp Lorraine 12Q engines.
04:14Meanwhile the company kept working on the design, and created the more advanced 141, 142, and 143 models.
04:22These newer models used a revised fuselage to allow more space for the crew, which now grew to five men.
04:29The pilots now had an enclosed cockpit, and the crew could use the defensive armament more effectively,
04:34which included enclosed nose and dorsal turret, instead of the open positions used on the 140 model.
04:41The three updated designs, amongst other differences, all used different engines.
04:45The AMEO 141 was planned to use the Lorraine 12Q engines.
04:50The 142 type was powered by the Hispano Suiza 12 models.
04:55And finally, the 143 used the Nomron 14 KD RS type.
05:00As a result of the arrival of the new, more advanced designs, and the changes in the requirements towards the
05:06aircraft,
05:07from the original bomber slash reconnaissance role to focus on just the bomber role and better performance,
05:13the initial order for the original 142 models was revised to the newer 143 design in the first half of
05:191934.
05:21This caused the interesting situation, that the production of the AMEO 143 actually started before
05:27the prototype even finished its flight test.
05:30The officials ordered prototypes from both the 142 and 143 models to compare them,
05:35from which the 142 model made its maiden flight in August 1934, and the 142 type in January 1935.
05:45The 143 model went through several modifications during testing.
05:49In September, after the initial flight tests, it received structural strengthening and larger tail surfaces.
05:55A month later, it was transferred to the CIMA for official testing.
05:59In December it was fitted with new engine nussels, and in January 1935,
06:04it received a new nose turret, just before the beginning of the armament trials,
06:09which were finished in April 1935, the same time the first production model made its maiden flight,
06:14thanks to the early production order.
06:18The 142 type, using the Hispano Suiza engines, was delivered to the CIMA in February 1935,
06:24just a month after its maiden flight.
06:26Apart from using inline engines, this model also had a different tail design,
06:31making it one meter shorter than the 143.
06:35The choice between the two variants eventually came down to a decision,
06:38that the inline Hispano Suiza engines will be mainly allocated to fighter production.
06:43And thus, the 143 model with its radial engines was favored by the Aeronautical Technical Service.
06:50In April 1935, further 73 units were added to the initial order of 40 aircraft,
06:56and just a month later, a decision was made to equip five whole bomber groups with the type.
07:03Deliveries of the AEMU 143 started in April 1935,
07:07and though this seems early, as the testing of the prototype was just finished at the same time,
07:12but actually already seven years passed since the initial requirements were released in 1928.
07:19The type officially entered service in July 1935,
07:23but by this time it was already falling behind the other new designs that appeared at the same time in
07:28other countries.
07:29In the same year, the Boeing 299, the prototype for the B-17 Flying Fortress,
07:34already made its maiden flight in the US.
07:37While in Germany, the Heinkel Heig E-111 also flew in that year.
07:42Both of these planes had around 150 km an hour higher top speed than the AEMU 143,
07:48while carrying bigger bomb loads.
07:51The initially ordered 40 units from the type,
07:54retained the original fuel tank design from the 140 model,
07:57meaning any of them could be jettisoned if needed.
08:00But beginning with the 41st aircraft, the tanks were moved to the outer wing sections,
08:04and were now fixed.
08:06The fuselage on the later models was also 30 cm longer,
08:11and they received one additional machine gun and updated radio equipment.
08:16And if we are talking about the modifications to the type,
08:19let us now take a look at its variants.
08:29The AEMU 140 was the original design created for the 1928 tender.
08:35Still using open cockpit and gun air positions,
08:38and it was powered by two 650 hp Hispano Suiza engines.
08:45The 141 and 142 were upgraded variants,
08:49with enclosed cockpit, redesigned fuselage, enclosed gun turrets,
08:53and using the Lorraine 12Q engines on the 141 model,
08:56and Hispano Suiza 12Y engines on the 142 type.
09:01Only the 142 variant was built.
09:04The AEMU 143 was the upgraded model that eventually went into serial production.
09:10Using the enclosed cockpit and gun positions,
09:12the redesigned fuselage,
09:14and Gnome Rhone 14 radial engines, producing 900 hp each.
09:20A later revised variant was the 144 model,
09:23which was an effort to improve the aerodynamics of the type.
09:26It featured retractable landing gear,
09:28modified wings and fuselage,
09:30and an osteret was removed.
09:32This model first flew in January 1936,
09:35but in the end did not enter production.
09:37And finally, the AEMU 150 model was developed for the Navy as a torpedo bomber,
09:42with larger wingspan and floats instead of wheels.
09:46Only one prototype was built,
09:47and the program was terminated,
09:49after its performance proved to be disappointing.
09:58The AEMU 143 was 18.24 meters long, with a wingspan of 24.53 meters.
10:06It had an empty weight of 5,455 kg,
10:10and a maximum takeoff weight of 10,360 kg.
10:16The aircraft used two NOM Rhone 14 radial air-cooled engines, producing 900 hp each.
10:22With these engines it could reach a top speed of 295 km an hour,
10:27and a cruise speed of 260 km an hour.
10:32It had a range of around 1200 km,
10:35and a service ceiling of 7900 meters.
10:39The bomber's defensive armament consisted of four 7.5 mm machine guns,
10:44and it could carry 800 kg of bombs internally,
10:49and additional 800 kg under the wings.
11:00Deliveries of the AEMU 143 started in April 1935,
11:04and the type entered service in July the same year.
11:07But at that point it was already in development for 7 years,
11:11and many more advanced aircraft appeared during this time.
11:14In light of the type already showing signs of being outdated,
11:18compared to more recent bombers like the DO-17,
11:21or the earlier mentioned HG-111,
11:23it was so reclassified from the bomber and reconnaissance role to a night bomber.
11:28Though the production of the type only lasted until 1938,
11:32when it was phased out for new, more advanced types,
11:34and some of the units already started to replace it with the new Bloch 131 and Leo 451 types,
11:41there were still 5 bomber groups using the type in France,
11:44and one in Africa when WW2 broke out.
11:47More than 120 of them were still in service when the Battle of France began.
11:51Though almost half of these planes were under maintenance.
11:55The type was mostly used for night bombing raids against German targets.
11:58But even on night missions, the big, slow bombers still suffered losses,
12:03but despite their aging design, they showed surprisingly good survivability.
12:08Interestingly, the French forces lost only around 50 of these old bombers,
12:12but still, by the time of the German victory, only 52 of them were still intact in France,
12:17and 25 in North Africa.
12:19These planes stayed in service, though mainly in transport roles in the Tunisian campaign.
12:24And some of them later joined the allied forces after the Axis defeat in Africa.
12:29They were used until 1944, when the Amio 143 models were finally retired,
12:35almost 10 years after they entered service.
12:39Though the Amio 143 was designed just before the aviation technologies
12:43suddenly started to evolve in a rapid pace,
12:46and because of its long development, the type was already obsolete when it entered service,
12:50but it still soldiered on and flew missions almost until the end of World War II.
12:55And though it was not a success, its interesting bulky design makes it easily recognizable
13:00and a very interesting and unique aircraft.
13:03A great example of the interwar aircraft design trends.
13:08Hope you guys enjoyed this video. Please leave a like, subscribe to my channel,
13:12and in the comments let me know if there's any interesting events or vehicles you'd like to see.
