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Technical Specifications

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Production

3 Latécoère 302 have been built since the date of the first flight :

• E4-1 - "GUILBAUD"
• E4-2 - "CAVELIER DE CUVERVILLE"
• E4-3 - "MOUNEYRES"

The 3 Aircraft are listed in the list below:

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Historical

In 1928, the Navy's Technical Services issued a program to equip the Navale Aviation with a four-engine long-range seaplane capable of carrying 1000kg of payload.3 aircraft were in competition for this competition: the Blériot 190, the Lioré & Olivier LéO27 and the Latécoère Laté 302. The latter is the military version of the Late 300 postal seaplane, designed to operate on the Dakar-Natal route. This Laté 300, registered F-AKCU, made its first flight in 1931, but sank during tests on the Etang de Berre in December of the same year. Refloated, repaired and modernized, it could resume its tests in October 1932, under a new registration: F-AKGF and under the name "La Croix du Sud". It then undertook a series of demonstration flights that received a lot of media coverage: on January 1st 1934, it linked the Etang De berre to Saint-Louis in Senegal, a distance of 3800 km. It will cross the South Atlantic in a flight of nearly 19 hours. These flights will largely highlight the qualities of the aircraft, and Air France and the Aéronautique Navale show a definite interest in the new aircraft, and each order 3 seaplanes.
The modifications for the civil version give birth to the Laté 301 and the three aircraft are registered: F-AOIK "Orion", F-AOIL "Eridan" and F-AOIM "Nadir". They are powered by four Hispano-Suiza 12Nbr Hispano-Suiza engines, each rated at 650 hp. The first of the Laté 301s, F-AOIK "Orion" made its first flight on September 7, 1935. The three Laté 301s were eventually renamed "City of Buenos Aires", "City of Rio de Janeiro" and "City of Santiago de Chile".
The military version, Laté 302, was manufactured after the civil aircraft. Similar in design to the civilian Laté 301s, they will be powered by a more powerful engine: four Hispano-Suiz 12Ydrs2 engines with boosters, each developing 930 bhp. In January 1936, the Navy gave each of the aircraft a name. They become "GUILBAUD", "CAVELIER DE CUVERVILLE" and "MOUNEYRES". The first Laté 302, the "GUILBAUD", made its first flight on 20 January 1936. Following manufacturer's tests, modifications are made, in particular on the position of the firing posts, whose initial position caused vibrations of the rear part of the fuselage. At the end of March 1936, the aircraft is handed over to the Technical Services for official tests at Saint-Raphael. The last seaplane, the "MOUNEYRES" will be completed in April 1936.
The three Laté 302s will be assigned to the E-4 Squadron, based on the Etang de Berre until April 1938, then to Lanvéoc-Poulmic . At the beginning of 1938, the Navy will recover one of the Air France aircraft, the "City of Santiago de Chile", which will be renamed "Lieutenant de Vaisseau De l'ORZA". After receiving military equipment, the aircraft will join Escadrille E4, based in Dakar at the outbreak of the conflict. In August 1939, the Aéronautique Navale requisitioned the other two Air France Laté 301s.
Until the Armistice, seaplanes were used for surveillance missions between the Channel coast and West Africa. On 20 May 1940, the Laté 301 "De l'ORZA" left Dakar for Biscaroose for repairs. Its condition not allowing it to escape, it will fall into German hands.
After the Armistice, E-4 Squadron became 4-E on August 1st 1940. The "civilian" Trois Laté 301s were returned to Air-France and the Troix Laté 302s were used until 1941: the lack of spare parts put an end to their career and they had to be scrapped. The "CAVELIER DE CUVERVILLE" made its last flight in April 1941, the "GUILBAUD" in June and the "MOUNEYRES" at the end of the year.

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Versions

The Latécoère 302 was built in one version

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Bibliography

No known books on this aircraft.

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Photos Album

 

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Drawing 3 views