Late 298D
Contents
Description
The Late 298D was a French seaplane, designed as a torpedo bomber, in also took on the roles of a dive bomber and reconnaissance plane. In 1934. French Navy was seeking replacement for the unsucessful Late 29 that just entered service. Latécoère 298 first flew on 6th May 1936. It was a single- engined monoplane powered by Hispano Suiza 12Y liquid-cooled engine. Two large floats with each containing a fuel tank were attached to fuselage with struts. A single Type 1926DA torpedo could be carried between the floats or two 150 kg bombs or depth charges for anti-submarine duties. Offensive armament was made of two 7.5 mm Darne machine guns with one in each wing and one Darne on a flexible mount operated by observer. The Laté 298 entered service in 1938 with the French Navy Airforce. The Laté first saw action during the Battle of France where they were used in their maritime patrol aircraft role, although they never attacked any German ship. In the later phase of the war, they were used to attack armoured columns advancing through France with lower casualities than other types used. After the fall of France, Vichy regime retained few squadrons of the aircraft and used them mostly in Africa, while Luftwaffe used the captured examples. After the Allied landings in Africa, the Late was used by Free French under the Coastal Command in conjunction with Vickers Wellingtons for anti-submarine patrols. In 1944, they were used for the last time in combat during liberation of France, when attacking German shipping in the Channel. Last Laté 298 was retired in 1946, with some serving as trainers until 1950. No Laté 298 survived past 1950.
The Late 298D was introduced during Update "Apex Predators" as a reward for the 2022 Winter Quest event. The Late 298D can be used as a fighter as it boasts very good manoeuvrability compared to its contemporaries, however it should be noted that the speed of the Late leaves much to be desired with almost every biplane being significantly faster. The plane itself can utilize boom and zoom tactics due to its very high limit of 450 km/h before the structural failure aswell as 320 km/h needed to rip off landing flaps. The armament is quite weak with only two rifle caliber machine guns with only 500 rpg. With the release of French bluewater navy, the Late 298D can also be used to capture points in naval battles as a subsidiary to currently non existing French coastal fleet.
General info
Flight performance
| Characteristics | Max speed (km/h at 2,500 m) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
| Stock | 285 | 278 | 5600 | 23.0 | 23.9 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 400 |
| Upgraded | 306 | 295 | 21.1 | 22.0 | 7.0 | 5.2 | ||
Details
| Features | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat flaps | Take-off flaps | Landing flaps | Air brakes | Arrestor gear |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | X | X |
| Limits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wings (km/h) | Gear (km/h) | Flaps (km/h) | Max Static G | |||
| Combat | Take-off | Landing | + | - | ||
| 450 | 550 | 450 | 450 | 320 | ~10 | ~7 |
| Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
| < ___ | < ___ | < ___ | > ___ |
Survivability and armour
Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.
Modifications and economy
2 × 20 / 40 / 80 % 2 × 100 / 100 / 100 % | Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armaments
Offensive armament
The Late 298D is armed with:
- 2 x 7.5 mm Mle 33 machine guns, wing-mounted (500 rpg = 1,000 total)
Suspended armament
The Late 298D can be outfitted with the following ordnance presets:
- Without load
- 2 x 75 kg G2 Navale bombs (150 kg total)
- 2 x 150 kg I2 Navale bombs (300 kg total)
- 1 x 400 mm 1926DA torpedo
Defensive armament
The Late 298D is defended by:
- 1 x 7.5 mm Mle 33 machine gun, dorsal turret (825 rpg)
Usage in battles
Although classified as a light bomber, the Late 298D performs better as a fighter in air battles since the 2 x 150 kg I2 Navale bombs can only take out 3/4 of a base. Its torpedo doesn't come in handy because both air arcade and realistic maps rarely contain naval units.
The Late 298D can dogfight against multiple fighters at the same time and come out as the victor. The aircraft can out-turn its opponents with takeoff flaps, including biplanes. However, in dives, takeoff and landing flaps can generate so much lift that the aircraft starts to pitch up uncontrollably.
Its 2 x 7.5 mm machine guns are weak and require multiple rounds on target, but it can occasionally set planes ablaze. The dorsal turret machine gun is effective in engaging fighters behind the aircraft, since most planes at the BR are poorly armoured. Essentially, the Late 298D can both out-turn and engage enemy fighters from any position.
With the long awaited introduction of the French Navy in the patch "Sky Guardians", the value and utility of this aircraft in naval games has greatly increased with its ability to capture naval points and win matches. Make sure to include the Late 298D in all your naval line-ups.
Manual Engine Control
| MEC elements | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mixer | Pitch | Radiator | Supercharger | Turbocharger | ||
| Oil | Water | Type | ||||
| Controllable | Controllable Not auto controlled |
Not controllable Not auto controlled |
Controllable Not auto controlled |
Combined | Not controllable 1 gear |
Not controllable |
Pros and cons
Pros:
- 150 kg bombs are effective in taking out tanks in ground battles
- Can turn on a dime with flaps, can even out-turn some biplanes
- Can carry a torpedo, useful in naval games
- Can land and capture points in naval games
Cons:
- Slow speed means enemy planes can outrun you
- The torpedo finds limited use in Air Mission arcade and realistic battles due to the lack of naval targets
- A small hit to the engine or oil radiator means the aircraft has a very limited time to return to base before the engine overheats. Even AAA can cause this scenario to happen
History
Built as a successor to their earlier lacklustre Latécoère 290 torpedo bomber float plane, the new 298 outperformed its predecessor by wide margins and offered more capabilities. Not fast, its large wings did give it more manoeuvrability, aided by full-span flaps. Torpedoes and bombs were mounted in a semi-recessed bay (also called a "crutch"), and 2 fixed 7.5 mm machine guns plus 1 more defensive mount at the rear, a potent arsenal for 1938's warplanes.
Like most French aircraft, its missions changed, first against the Germans, then with the Germans after France surrendered, then reverting to helping the Allies liberate France after French Africa joined the Allies. It proved to be one of the more successful French war planes, being in service until 1951, with a handful existing for years later. Unfortunately, no surviving examples of this fantastic French aircraft exist today.
Media
- Skins
- Videos
See also
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
External links
| Latécoère Aviation Company (Société Industrielle d'Aviation Latécoère) | |
|---|---|
| Floatplanes | Late 298D |
| France bombers | |
|---|---|
| Farman | F.222.2 · N.C.223.3 |
| Latécoère | Late 298D |
| Potez | Potez 633 |
| Liore et Olivier | LeO 451 early · LeO 451 late |
| Bloch | M.B.174A-3 · M.B.162 · M.B.175T |
| American | V-156-F · Martin 167-A3 · ▄A-35B · ▄SB2C-5 · B-26C · ▄PBY-5A Late · ▄PB4Y-2 |
| British | Lancaster MR.7 |
| France premium aircraft | |
|---|---|
| Fighters | D.371 H.S.9 · Pallier's D.510 · ▄P-39Q-25 · ▄P-40F-5 Lafayette · ▄P-47D-22-RE · F-6C-10-NA |
| M.B.152C1 · ▄Yak-3 · Challe's ▄Yak-9T · NC.900 · S.O.8000 Narval | |
| Jet fighters | ◘Sea Hawk Mk.50 · Milan · Mirage F1C-200 |
| Strike aircraft | ▄AD-4NA · F-84F IAF |
| Bombers | Late 298D · ▄PBY-5A Late |
| Jet bombers | Vautour IIA IDF/AF · S.O.4050 Vautour IIN |
