Blériot 117

The Blériot 117 was a French twin‑engine night bomber developed in the early 1920s by Louis Blériot's company. Conceived in response to the French Air Ministry’s call for a heavy, all‑metal aircraft capable of operating after dark, the 117 first flew in May 1924 at Villacoublay. Its airframe combined a wooden wing structure with a steel‑tube fuselage, covered in fabric, and it was powered by two 420 hp Lorraine‑Djinn rotary engines mounted on the lower wing. The aircraft featured a distinctive biplane tail, a spacious, glazed cockpit for two crew members, and an internal bomb bay that could hold up to 800 kg of ordnance. Defensive armament comprised three hand‑machine‑gun stations, including a dorsal turret. Although only a handful of prototypes were built, the 117 demonstrated the feasibility of night‑time strategic bombing and influenced later French designs such as the Bloch MB.160. Its development highlighted the transition from wood‑frame to mixed‑construction aircraft and contributed valuable data on night navigation, engine reliability, and crew coordination, marking an important step in interwar aviation progress. The Blériot 117 remains a rare example of early French innovation in multi‑engine bomber design, and its legacy is still studied by aviation historians.