Potez 25 (also written as Potez XXV) was a French twin-seat, single-engine

sesquiplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a ...

designed during the 1920s. A light multi-purpose

fighter-bomber A fighter-bomber is a fighter aircraft that has been modified, or used primarily, as a light bomber or attack aircraft. It differs from bomber and attack aircraft primarily in its origins, as a fighter that has been adapted into other roles, wh ...

, it was designed as a line aircraft and used in a variety of roles, including fighter and escort missions,

tactical bombing Tactical bombing is aerial bombing aimed at targets of immediate military value, such as combatants, military installations, or military equipment. This is in contrast to strategic bombing, or attacking enemy cities and factories to cripple ...

and

reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...

missions. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, Potez 25 was the standard multi-purpose aircraft of over 20 air forces, including French and Polish. It was also popular among private operators, notably mail transport companies. The aircraft was further developed into the 25M, a standard parasol-wing

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 wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...

, which never entered production.

Design and development

In 1923, the Avions Henry Potez aircraft works started production of a successful

Potez 15 The Potez XV (also erroneously written Potez 15) was a French single-engine, two-seat observation biplane designed as a private venture by Louis Coroller and built by Potez and under licence by Podlaska Wytwórnia Samolotów and Plage i Laśkiew ...

reconnaissance biplane. Basing on experience gathered during the construction of that aircraft,

Henry Potez Henry Potez ( Méaulte, 30 September 1891 – Paris, 9 November 1981) was a French aircraft industrialist. He studied in the French Aeronautics School '' Supaéro''. With Marcel Dassault, he was the inventor of the Potez-Bloch propeller which, a ...

started working on a new design of a heavier and faster multi-purpose aircraft. Designated Potez XXV or Potez 25, the

prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototype ...

was built already in 1924. The main differences included a larger, more powerful engine and a new wing design. Instead of a classic biplane, Potez introduced a sesquiplane, with the lower wing significantly smaller. It was built in two main military variants: Potez 25A2 reconnaissance aircraft and Potez 25B2 bomber-reconnaissance aircraft. In May 1925, the prototype was tested at the ''Service Technique d'Aeronautique'' Institute and was found a promising construction both for its manoeuvrability, speed and durability. Following the tests, the prototype entered serial production. To promote the new aircraft abroad, in a post-

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

market filled with hundreds of cheap demobilized aircraft, the Potez 25 was entered into a large number of races. Among the best-known achievements was a European rally (7,400 km/4,598 mi) and a Mediterranean rally (6,500 km/4,039 mi), both won by pilots flying the Potez. In 1920s, the Potez 25 was also used in a well-advertised Paris-Tehran rally (13,080 km/8,127 mi). In June 1930,

Henri Guillaumet Henri Guillaumet (29 May 1902 – 27 November 1940) was a French aviator. Guillaumet was born in Bouy, Marne. He was a pioneer of French aviation in the Andes, the South Atlantic and the North Atlantic. He contributed to the opening up o ...

crashed with his Potez 25 in the

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

during an air mail flight. He survived after trekking through the mountains and was found after one week of searching. Such achievements added to aircraft's popularity and made it one of the most successful French aircraft of the epoch. It was bought by a number of air forces, including those of France,

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

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Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

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, Paraguay, Poland,

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and the USSR. After the USSR acquired two aircraft for testing, they decided against further purchases, finding it comparable to the native

Polikarpov R-5 The Polikarpov R-5 () was a Soviet Union, Soviet reconnaissance bomber aircraft of the 1930s. It was the standard light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft of the Soviet Air Force for much of the 1930s, while also being used heavily as a civilian ...

. Altogether, approximately 2,500 aircraft were built in France. Already in 1925, Poland bought a licence for Potez 25 and started to manufacture them in

Podlaska Wytwórnia Samolotów Podlaska Wytwórnia Samolotów (PWS; ''Podlachian Aircraft Factory'') was a Polish aerospace manufacturer between 1923 and 1939, located in Biała Podlaska. History Podlaska Wytwórnia Samolotów S.A. (corporation), SA was created in 1923. The f ...

(PWS, 150 built) and

Plage i Laśkiewicz Plage i Laśkiewicz (Plage & Laśkiewicz) was the first Polish aerospace manufacturer, located in Lublin and manufacturing aircraft under Lublin name. Full name was: ''Zakłady Mechaniczne E. Plage i T. Laśkiewicz'' – Mechanical Works E. Plag ...

aircraft works (150 built). In 1928 the first Polish-built Potez 25 were tested by the Technical Aviation Development Institute in Warsaw and the design was slightly modified to better fit the needs of the Polish air forces. Among the notable differences were the introduction of

leading edge slot A leading-edge slot is a fixed aerodynamics, aerodynamic feature of the wing of some aircraft to reduce the Stall (flight), stall speed and promote good low-speed handling qualities. A leading-edge slot is a spanwise gap in each wing, allowing ai ...

s. The production in Poland ceased in 1932. Altogether, 300 aircraft were built in a number of versions for long- and short-range reconnaissance and daylight tactical bombing. As the original Lorraine-Dietrich 12Eb engine was unavailable in Poland, it was replaced in 47 aircraft with a more powerful PZL Bristol Jupiter VIIF

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating engine, reciprocating type internal combustion engine, internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinder (engine), cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. ...

, starting from 1936. In Romania, Potez 25 was produced by IAR. Several other countries manufactured Potez 25s under licence.

Variants

;Potez 25:One prototype aircraft, powered by a Hispano-Suiza 12Ga W-12 engine. Potez 25 A2 Salmson

;Potez 25 A.2 :Two-seat observation version, powered by a Salmson 18Cmb or Lorraine 12Eb engine. ;Potez 25.5 :Production version, powered by a Renault 12Jb, 100 built. ;Potez 25.8 :A reconnaissance-bomber powered by a single Farman 12Wc W-12 engine, several dozen of which were built. ;Potez 25.12 :Reconnaissance aircraft, approximately 280 built, powered by Salmson 18Cmb 18 cyl. 9-bank in-line radial engines, (9 pairs of cylinders one behind the other, not staggered). ;Potez 25.23 :A single P-25.12, (n°71), modified for a tour of europe from 14 to 22 September 1928. ;Potez 25.35 :Two-seat target-tug version. ;Potez 25.36 :Two-seat monoplane version ;Potez 25.44 :A reconnaissance-bomber powered by a single Renault 12Jb V-12 engine, 74 of which were built. ;Potez 25.47 :A single liaison two-seater built especially for the Ministère de l'Air powered by a Hispano-Suiza 12Lb V-12 engine. ;Potez 25.55 :Two-seat

training Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or fitness that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity, productivity and performance. I ...

version. 40 built. ;Potez 25 ET.2 :Two-seat intermediate training version, powered by a Salmson 18Ab radial engine. ;Potez 25 Farman :Two-seat observation version for the

French Air Force The French Air and Space Force (, , ) is the air force, air and space force of the French Armed Forces. Formed in 1909 as the ("Aeronautical Service"), a service arm of the French Army, it became an independent military branch in 1934 as the Fr ...

, powered by a Farman 12We. Also known as the Potez 25/4. 12 built. ;Potez 25GR :Long-range version, powered by Lorraine 12Eb W-12 engines. ;Potez 25 'Jupiter' :Export version, powered by a Gnome-Rhône 9Ac Jupiter radial. Built under licence by

Ikarbus Ikarbus a.d. (full legal name: ''Ikarbus – Fabrika autobusa i specijalnih vozila a.d.'') is a Serbian bus manufacturer based in Zemun, Belgrade. It was originally established as an aircraft manufacturer in 1923, under the name Ikarus. In 1954 ...

in Yugoslavia and

OGMA Ogma () is a god from Irish mythology, Irish and Scottish mythology. A member of the Tuatha Dé Danann, he is often considered a deity and may be related to the Gauls, Gallic god Ogmios. According to the In Lebor Ogaim, Ogam Tract, he is the i ...

in Portugal, exported to Estonia and Switzerland. ;Potez 25H :Two

floatplane A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy. By contrast, a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy. Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land, ...

prototypes, each one was powered by

Gnome-Rhône 9A Jupiter The Bristol Jupiter is a British nine-cylinder single-row piston radial engine that was built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. Originally designed late in World War I and known as the Cosmos Jupiter, a lengthy series of upgrades and developme ...

radials. ;Potez 25 Hispano-Suiza :VIP transport version, powered by a Hispano-Suiza 12Lb. ;Potez 25M :one Hispano-Suiza powered aircraft was converted into a parasol-wing monoplane. ;Potez 25-O :Specially strengthened and modified version, built for a non-stop North-Atlantic crossing. The aircraft was powered by a Jupiter radial, fitted with jettisonable landing gear and a strengthened landing skid. Only two were built. ;Potez 25TOE :Major production version, 795 built, powered by Lorraine 12Eb W-12 engines. Clerget 14 F

;Potez 25 engine test bed : A single Potez 25 was used to test a Clerget 14F-01 14-cylinder, two-row radial diesel engine. This aircraft, complete with diesel engine was probably the aircraft exported to

which became the Potez CXP1 of the

Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service The (IJNAS) was the air arm of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). The organization was responsible for the operation of naval aircraft and the conduct of aerial warfare in the Pacific War. The Japanese military acquired its first aircraft in ...

(IJNAS).

Operators

; *

Afghan Air Force The General Command of the Air Force (, Dari: ) also referred to as the Islamic Emirate Air Force and the Afghan Air Force, is the air force branch of the Afghan Armed Forces. The Royal Afghan Air Force was established in 1921 under the reign o ...

; *

Belgian Air Force The Belgian Air and Space Component (, ) is the Air force, air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces, and until January 2002 it was officially known as the Belgian Air Force (; ). It was founded in 1909 and is one of the world's oldest air services. ...

; *

Brazilian Air Force The Brazilian Air Force (, FAB) is the air branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces and one of the three national uniformed services. The FAB was formed when the Brazilian Brazilian Army Aviation (1919–1941), Army and Brazilian Naval Aviation, Nav ...

; *

Chinese Nationalist Air Force Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

Andersson 2009, p. 279. * Fengtian (Manchuria)Andersson 2009, pp. 68, 275. *

Sichuan clique The Sichuan clique () was a group of warlords in the warlord era in China. During the period from 1927 to 1938, Sichuan was in the hands of six warlords: Liu Wenhui, Liu Xiang (warlord), Liu Xiang, Yang Sen (1884–1977), Yang Sen, Deng Xihou, ...

Andersson 2009, pp. 85–86, 279. ; *'' Zrakoplovstvo Nezavisne Države Hrvatske'' captured 42 from the Royal Yugoslav Air Force. ; *

Ethiopian Air Force The Ethiopian Air Force (ETAF) () is the air service branch of the Ethiopian National Defence Force. The ETAF is tasked with protecting the national air space, providing support to ground forces, as well as assisting civil operations during wa ...

acquired 3 aircraft. ; *

Estonian Air Force The Estonian Air Force (, ) is the aviation branch of the Estonian Defence Forces. The air force traces its history to 1918, and was re-established in its current form in 1991. As of 2025, the Estonian Air Force has a strength of ~1,600 personn ...

operated Potez 25 Jupiter up to 1940. ; *

Finnish Air Force The Finnish Air Force (FAF or FiAF; ; ) is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. Its peacetime tasks are airspace surveillance, identification flights, and production of readiness formations for wartime conditions. The Finnish Air ...

purchased one Potez 25 A.2 in 1927 and evaluated until 1936. ; *

French Naval Aviation French Naval Aviation (often abbreviated in French to: (contraction of ), or , or more simply ) is the naval air arm of the French Navy. The long-form official designation is . Born as a fusion of aircraft carrier squadrons and the naval pat ...

; *

Vichy French Air Force The Air Force (), usually referred to as the Air Force of Vichy (''Armée de l'air de Vichy'') or Armistice Air Force (''Armée de l'Air de l'armistice'') for clarity, was the aerial branch of the Armistice Army of Vichy France established in th ...

; *

Free French Air Force The Free French Air Forces (, FAFL) were the air arm of the Free French Forces in the Second World War, created by Charles de Gaulle in 1940. The designation ceased to exist in 1943 when the Free French Forces merged with General Giraud's force ...

; *

Hellenic Air Force The Hellenic Air Force (HAF; , sometimes abbreviated as ΠΑ) is the air force of Greece (''Hellenic'' being the endonym for ''Greek'' in the Greek language). It is considered to be one of the largest air forces in NATO, and is globally placed 1 ...

; * Guatemalan Air Force ; *

Imperial Japanese Army Air Service The Imperial Japanese Army Air Service (IJAAS) or Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (IJAAF; ) was the Military aviation, aviation force of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). Its primary mission was to provide tactical close air support for ground ...

– Purchased as ''Potez CXP''. ; *

Paraguayan Air Force The Paraguayan Air Force () is a branch of the Armed Forces of Paraguay, in charge of the defense of Paraguay's skies. Its interim commander is Air Division General Julio Rubén Fullaondo Céspedes. Its headquarters are located in Ñu Guazu, Lu ...

operated a total of 14 aircraft, six Potez 25 A.2 and eight Potez 25 TOE during the

Chaco War The Chaco War (, Polish Air Force The Polish Air Force () is the aerial warfare Military branch, branch of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as ''Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej'' (). In 2014 it consisted of roughly 26,000 military personnel an ...

operated 16 aircraft bought in France and another 300 aircraft manufactured in Poland. ; *

Portuguese Air Force The Portuguese Air Force () is the air force, aerial warfare force of Portugal. Locally it is referred to by the acronym FAP but internationally is often referred to by the acronym PRTAF. It is the youngest of the three branches of the Portuguese ...

Niccoli 1998, p. 23. ; *

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

;

Spanish Republican Air Force The Spanish Republican Air Force was the air arm of the Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic, the legally established government of Spain between 1931 and 1939. Initially divided into two branches: Military Aeronautics () and Naval Aeron ...

; *

Swiss Air Force The Swiss Air Force (; ; ; ) is the air component of the Swiss Armed Forces, established on 31 July 1914, three days after the outbreak of World War I, as a part of the Swiss Army, army and in October 1936 as an independent service. In peaceti ...

; *

Soviet Air Force The Soviet Air Forces (, VVS SSSR; literally "Military Air Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics"; initialism VVS, sometimes referred to as the "Red Air Force") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Sovie ...

– Two aircraft used for tests and trials.Kotelnikov, Kulikov & Cony 2001, pp. 54–55 ; *

Turkish Air Force The Turkish Air Force () is the Air force, air and space force of the Turkish Armed Forces. It traces its origins to 1 June 1911 when it was founded as the Ottoman Aviation Squadrons, Aviation Squadrons by the Ottoman Empire. It was composed ...

; * Uruguayan Air Force ; *

Yugoslav Royal Air Force The Royal Yugoslav Air Force ( sh-Latn, Jugoslovensko kraljevsko ratno vazduhoplovstvo, JKRV; sh-Cyrl, Југословенско краљевско ратно ваздухопловство, ЈКРВ; (, JKVL); lit. "Yugoslav royal war aviatio ...

operated 200 aircraft manufactured in Yugoslavia.

Civil operators

; * Aéropostale *Caudron Flying School *Compagnie Francaise d'Aviation *Hanriot Airline and Hanriot Flying School

Specifications (Potez 25)

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * Gerdessen, Frederik. "Estonian Air Power 1918 – 1945". ''

Air Enthusiast ''Air Enthusiast'' was a British, bi-monthly, aviation magazine, published by the Key Publishing group. Initially begun in 1974 as ''Air Enthusiast Quarterly'', the magazine was conceived as a historical adjunct to ''Air International'' magaz ...

'', No. 18, April – July 1982. pp. 61–76. . * * * * * *

External links

{{IAR aircraft 1920s French military reconnaissance aircraft 1920s French bomber aircraft 025 Sesquiplanes Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1924 Aircraft with fixed conventional landing gear