Breguet Bre.5

The Breguet Bre.5 was a French single‑engine, two‑seat biplane developed in the early 1920s by Breguet Aviation, a company founded by aviation pioneer Louis Breguet. Designed as a military trainer and reconnaissance aircraft, the Bre.5 first flew in 1920 and entered service with the French Air Force in 1921. Its airframe combined a wooden‑fabric construction with a sturdy steel tube fuselage, giving it both light weight and durability. Powered by a 300 hp Lorraine‑DM12 V‑12 engine, the aircraft could reach a maximum speed of 180 km/h and a service ceiling of 5,800 m, while carrying a pilot and an observer in open cockpits equipped with dual controls. The Bre.5’s wings were staggered and featured a slight sweep, providing good stability and gentle stall characteristics ideal for novice pilots. Over 150 units were built, and the type saw extensive use in pilot training schools throughout the 1920s, helping to professionalise French military aviation after World War I. Its reliable performance and straightforward maintenance influenced later Breguet designs, and the Bre.5 remains an emblem of the transition from wartime experimentation to peacetime standardisation in early aviation history.

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