ANF Les Mureaux
Mureaux 170
The Mureaux 170 was a French two‑seat monoplane built by ANF Les Mureaux in the early 1930s. Designed as a light fighter‑trainer and liaison aircraft, it first flew in April 1932 and entered limited service with the Armée de l’Air the following year. The aircraft combined a low‑wing cantilever design with a mixed construction: a steel‑tube fuselage covered in fabric and wooden wings braced with plywood ribs. Power was supplied by a 240 hp Gnome‑Rhône 5Kb radial engine, driving a two‑bladed wooden propeller and giving a top speed of about 230 km/h (143 mph). The cockpit accommodated an instructor and a trainee side‑by‑side, providing excellent visibility and dual controls that made it ideal for teaching aerobatics and navigation. Although only a few dozen were built, the Mureaux 170 helped demonstrate the advantages of all‑metal, low‑wing monoplanes over the biplanes that still dominated French training fleets. Its handling characteristics influenced later designs such as the Mureaux 190 series and contributed to the French Air Force’s gradual modernization before World War II. The type saw service in training units at the École de l'Aviation Militaire in Chartres and a few were exported to Belgium for evaluation. Its simple, robust airframe was later adapted for reconnaissance duties.
Classification
Production & History
- First Flight
- 1932