F.63 BN.4

The Farman F.63 BN‑4 was a French four‑engine bomber prototype developed by Farman Aviation Works in the late 1920s. Conceived as a response to the French Service Aéronautique’s demand for a long‑range night‑bomber, the aircraft first flew in June 1929 from the Billancourt factory. Its designation “BN‑4” indicated a “Bombardier de Nuit” capable of carrying a crew of four. The F.63 featured a high‑wing monoplane layout with a mixed construction of duralumin girder frames and fabric‑covered control surfaces, while the fuselage employed the first fully stressed‑skin metal shell used by Farman. Power was supplied by four Hispano‑Suiza 12Nb V‑12 engines mounted in nacelles on the wings, giving a maximum speed of 250 km/h and a service ceiling of 6 500 m. Armament consisted of three synchronized forward‑firing machine guns and two dorsal gun positions, complemented by an internal bomb bay that could hold up to 800 kg of ordnance. Although only two prototypes were built before the programme was cancelled in 1931, the F.63’s structural innovations and multi‑engine configuration influenced subsequent French heavy bombers such as the Amiot 143 and the Bloch MB.200. Its brief career demonstrated the transition from wooden biplanes to modern all‑metal monoplanes in interwar military aviation.

Farman Aviation Works

Classification

Production & History

Design & Classification