Talk:Loire 30

Loire 301
OK I am aware that the (somewhat unreliable) references state that this is an airborne artillery piece, but there are some fundamental problems with this theory.
 * 1) The Maximum all up weight of the Loire 30 / 300 was only 3760kg, with an empty weight of 2510kg, leaving a paltry 1,250 kg for crew, equipment, fuel etc. A turret that size with meaningful armour would have weighed at least 1,000kg if not a lot more, and that is without the gun, crew, fuel etc.. In the light of this it is highly probable that the turret was not armoured!
 * 2) An airborne gun suitable for that turret would also weigh in at around 1,000kg, leaving no margin for crew, fuel and equipment etc,

Although this is not empirical proof, I feel that it raises serious doubts about the contention that the Loire 301 was an armoured airborne Cruiser,or even a test-bed for one. Is there any proof out there for it's real intended role.Petebutt (talk) 18:21, 9 June 2011 (UTC)