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The Lioré et Olivier LeO H-43 was a reconnaissance seaplane produced in France in the 1930s.
[Taylor 1989, 580] It was a strut-braced, mid-wing
monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...
of largely conventional design, provided with an observation balcony underneath the fuselage.
[''World Aircraft Information Files'', File 900 Sheet 08] It was designed to be launched by catapult from warships and, after a first flight in 1934, trials were conducted on board ''
Commandant Teste
''Commandant Teste'' was a large seaplane tender of the French Navy (french: Marine Nationale) built before World War II. She was designed to be as large as possible without counting against the Washington Naval Treaty, Washington Treaty limits. ...
''.
Development was prolonged and the prototype underwent much modification before an order for 20 machines was placed by the
Aéronavale. Even after this, a major redesign to the forward fuselage was specified as part of the production order.
As a result, the first test flight of the production version did not take place until 13 July 1939, by which time the H-43 was already obsolete.
The twenty examples purchased briefly equipped two squadrons from February 1940, but all were withdrawn with the
Fall of France.
Operators
;
* ''
Aéronavale''
**
Escadrille 3S1
**
Escadrille 3S5
Specifications
See also
Notes
References
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liore et Olivier LeO H-43
1930s French military reconnaissance aircraft
Floatplanes
H-043
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Mid-wing aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1934