The Caudron C.600 Aiglon is a 1930s French two-seat

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...

sport/touring aircraft built by Caudron–

Renault Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufacture ...

Development

The Aiglon (en: ''Eaglet'') was designed by

Marcel Riffard Marcel Riffard (1886–1981) was a French aeronautical engineer. In the 1930s, while working at the design department of Caudron-Renault Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French ...

after he took over the design department when Caudron merged with Renault. The Aiglon was a two-seat low-wing

cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a cant ...

monoplane with tandem open cockpits. The first of two prototypes first flew in March 1935 from

Issy-les-Moulineaux Issy-les-Moulineaux () is a commune in the southwestern suburban area of Paris, France, lying on the left bank of the river Seine. Its citizens are called ''Isséens'' in French. It is one of Paris' entrances and is located from Notre-Dame Cat ...

, France. Two special long-distance versions (C.610 Aiglons) were built with increased fuel capacity. In December 1935 a C.610 was flown from Paris to Saigon at an average speed of 80 mph (129 km/h). The type was popular with French private owners and flying clubs, and a number were sold abroad. With the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

many of the aircraft were requisitioned by the French Government for use as liaison aircraft by the

Armée de l'Air The French Air and Space Force (AAE) (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace, ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. It was the first military aviation force in history, formed in 1909 as the , a service arm of the French Arm ...

. Total production of the Aiglon was 203 aircraft, including 178 of the basic

4Pgi Bengali Junior powered model.

Variants

;C.600 Aiglon:production model with a Renault 4Pgi Bengali Junior engine, 178 built. ;C.600G Aiglon:modified version with a

de Havilland Gipsy Major The de Havilland Gipsy Major or Gipsy IIIA is a four-cylinder, air-cooled, inverted inline engine used in a variety of light aircraft produced in the 1930s, including the famous Tiger Moth biplane. Many Gipsy Major engines still power vintag ...

engine, five built. ;C.601 Aiglon Senior:modified version with a

Renault 4Pei The Renault 4P, also called the Renault Bengali Junior, was a series of air-cooled 4-cylinder inverted inline aero engines designed and built in France from 1927, which produced from to . Design and development Charles Lindbergh's Atlantic Ocea ...

engine, 18 built. ;C.610 Aiglon:special long-distance single-seat version with increased fuel, two built. ;Caudron KXC1:A C.601 exported to Japan for evaluation by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service.

Operators

The aircraft was operated by flying clubs, private individuals and a few air forces: ; *

Argentine Air Force "Argentine Wings" , mascot = , anniversaries = 10 August (anniversary) 1 May (Baptism of fire during the Falklands War) , equipment = 139 aircraft , equipment_label = , battles = * Operation Independence * Operation Soberanía * Falkl ...

; * French Air Force ; *

Guatemalan Air Force The Guatemalan Air Force ( es, Fuerza Aérea Guatemalteca or ''FAG'') is a small air force composed mostly of U.S.-made aircraft throughout its history. The FAG is a subordinate to the Guatemalan Military and its commanding officer reports to th ...

; *

Royal Hungarian Air Force The Hungarian Air Force ( hu, Magyar Légierő), is the air force branch of the Hungarian Defence Forces. The task of the current Hungarian Air Force is primarily defensive purposes. The flying units of the air force are organised into a single ...

operated 6 aircraft between 1943 and 1945 ; * Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service, one example evaluated under designation KXC ; *

Royal Romanian Air Force The Air Force branch of the Royal Romanian forces in World War II was officially named the (ARR), or the Romanian Royal Aeronautics, though it is more commonly referred to in English histories as the (Royal Romanian Air Force, FARR), or simply ...

; * Spanish Republican Air Force, used at

El Carmolí El Carmolí is an area in Los Urrutias, Cartagena municipality, in the Campo de Cartagena comarca, Region of Murcia, southeastern Spain. It used to be the site of a military air base, located near a homonymous hill in the flat Mar Menor area. One ...

fighter pilot training facility.Wings Palette - Caudron C.60/600/601 Aiglon - Spain
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Specifications (C.600)

References

Bibliography