Unknown French Bomber

[Moses03]

The lads over at Flypast are having a go with this one:

http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?t=102619

I think they were Farman mockups. Any ideas?

[Moses03]

I think the mystery bomber might be a modified SNCAO CA-600?

http://www.airwar.ru/enc/spyww2/cao600.html

[Moses03]

Was going to post my idea over at Flypast but never got the registration email back from them allowing to post. Oh well.

[Willy]

Moses, based on the Russian picture, the CA 600 is a low to mid wing aircraft. The mystery aircraft is a high wing. I don't see how it would have flown with that oversized turret.

[Moses03]

I agree it's a stretch somewhat Willy. What sold me mostly was the tail and upper cockpit area (the glazing looks the same at the front). Also, only two prototypes were built and the original photo shows two airframes.

Note how the gull wing connects near the top though.

[lefty]

I see where you're coming from here, Kevin, but I suspect this is even more obscure. Somehow that 'turret' looks quite unreal. The aerofoil profile, or what remains of it, is vast, and doesn't fit the Farman theory.

Unless one of our Gallic chums comes up with the goods, we'll probably never know.

By the way, registered without any problems, but they've got a Lefty already !

[Hurricane91]

Although I am late to the game, it looks like the question is still open. The links, and links to links have turned up some interesting theories. The turret's lack of vertical traverse slots for the machine guns could support the theory that the aircraft were shills intended to throw off German intelligence.