Bloch MB.60
The Bloch MB.60 was a three-engine mailplane built in France from 1930 to 1931, originally called the MB.VI in the SEA number series. It was designed for postal, commercial, or medical transport. Marcel Bloch started Société des Avions Marcel Bloch in 1929, and the MB.60 was the company's first project.
Construction and design were notable for using light alloys with steel fittings. It introduced new manufacturing ideas, such as riveting external stringers and longerons to skin sheets before attaching them to ribs and frames, producing a strong yet lightweight structure.
Power came from three 89 kW (120 hp) Salmson 9AC engines: one in the nose and two mounted on wing nacelles. The MB.60 was a high-wing cantilever monoplane with a three-section wing, the outer sections having moderate dihedral. Its square cross-section fuselage had a constant-section cabin, and the all-metal tail followed the same stringer construction. The undercarriage featured tall, strut-braced oleo-pneumatic main legs attached to the outer engine nacelles and a light alloy steerable tail-wheel.
Two aircraft were built: MB.60 and MB.61. The MB.61 was powered by three Lorraine 5Pc engines and first flew in February 1931. Neither aircraft received production orders.
The MB.60 first flew on 12 September 1930 at Buc, piloted by René Delmotte. Testing at Buc and Villacoublay showed satisfactory handling and performance. After a modification program, the MB.61 crashed in April 1931 due to inverted controls during re-assembly; after repairs, flight testing resumed on 1 May 1931.
Both planes were built at Buc by a sub-contractor under Bloch’s close supervision. Data on their origins and performance come from sources such as Dassault Aviation and Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft 1931.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 04:04 (CET).