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The Breguet 1150 Atlantique is a twin-engined; long-range maritime reconnaissance bomber and patrol aircraft. In response to the 1958' NATO contest
for a long-range maritime patrol aircraft to replace the Lockheed P2V Neptune, Bréguet submitted its own design, the Br 1150. The Br.1150 was chosen
as the winner from eighteen desings. Accordingly, a multinational consortium, Société d'Étude et de Construction de Bréguet Atlantic (SECBAT) was set up
to develop and build this aircraft, which was named the 1150 Atlantic. The Breguet 1150 long-range maritime reconnaissance bomber was manufactured by a
consortium of French, German, Belgian and Dutch companies with the parent company Société des Ateliers d'Aviation Louis Bréguet also known as Bréguet
Aviation acting as team leader and responsible for the final assembly of the aircraft. The 1150 Atlantic carries twelve crew members on the pressurised
deck of the fuselage with seven accomodated in central operations compartments. The 1150 Atlantic is powered by two Rolls-Royce Tyne R.Ty.20 Mk.21
turboprops of 6,105 shp each. The aircraft is equipped with the retractable French CSF search radar in the forward fuselage, and U.S. anti-submarines
American systems essentially similar to those of the Neptunes. The Atlantic can undertake survey, rescue, personnel transport, mine-laying and fleet
escort in addition to its primary function of anti-submarine warfare. The Atlantic has a 30-ft. weapons bay in the unpressurized lower lobe of the
fuselage which accommodates all the normal range of bombs, mines, depth charges and homing torpedoes, including electric accoustic torpedoes of the
L.K.4 or Mk.43 type used by NATO. A pair of underwing pylons carry HVAR or guided air-to-surface missiles. In 1961, the first firm contract was placed
by the French government for twentyseven machines. Br.1150-01, the first of four prototypes, flew on 21 October 1961; followed by Br.1150-02 on 23
February 1962; Br.1150-03 on 25 February 1963 and Br.1150-04 on 10 September 1964. The first production aircraft (Breguet 1150 No.1) flew on 19 July
1965, with production deliveries commencing in December 1965. An updated version, the Atlantique 2 or ATL2, was produced by Dassault Aviation for
the French Navy in the 1980s. Next to the French Navy, the Atlantic was operated by the German Navy, the Italian Air Force, the Pakistan Navy, and
the Royal Netherlands Navy. A total of 87 Atlantic and 28 Atlantique 2 aircraft were built when production ended in 1987.
The ICAO Aircraft Type
Designator for the Breguet Br.1150 is ATLA.
In 1963, the Federal German government ordered twenty Breguet Br.1150 Atlantic long-range maritime patrol
and anti-submarine aircraft as replacement for the Fairy Gannet T.5 / AS.4 aircraft in service with the Federal West German Navy / Bundesmarine. On 15
July 1965, the first Bundesmarine Atlantic landed at Nordholz Naval Air Base. The last Gannet left the Marinefliegergeschwader 3 (MFG3) ‘Graf Zeppelin’
on 30 June 1966. |
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Breguet 1150 Atlantic s/n 61 entered service with the Federal West German Navy Marinefliegergeschwader 3 (MFG3) as 'UC+323'. On 1 January 1968, a new serial
system was adopted by the Federal West German Military Aviation: the Breguet 1150 Atlantic UC+323 was reserialed to 61+14. Five German Atlantics were converted
to ELINT/SIGINT aircraft (BR 1150 M) and the other fourteen Atlantics remaining at that time in service with the Bundesmarine, including the 61+14, were modified
with updated electronics and a more efficient search radar by Dornier in the early 1980s. Following the German reunification on 3 October 1990, the Federal West
German Navy was partially integrated into the Federal German Navy; Breguet Br.1150 Atlantic 64+14 remained in service with MFG3 at Nordholz NAV. In 2005, the
Brequet Br.1150 Atlantic aircraft in service with Marinefliegergeschwader 3 (MFG3) at Nordholz Naval Air Base were replaced by eight former Dutch Navy' Lockheed
P-3CII Orion’s that where modernised under the Capability Upkeep Program (CUP) and sold to the German Marineflieger. The remaining Breguet 1150 Atlantic aircraft
in service with the Marine were withdrwan from use. (the five ELINT/SIGINT Breguet Br. 1150 M aircraft remained at that time in service). On 12 December 2005,
Breguet 1150 Atlantic 61+14 was placed on display with Aeronauticum/Deutsche Luftschiff und Marineflieger Museum, Nordholz NAV, Nordholz, Lower Saxony.
On 4 August 2004, Breguet 1150 Atlantic 61+14 of the Bundesmarine Marinefliegergeschwader 3 (MFG3) ‘Graf Zeppelin’ was seen at Wittmundhafen AFB in Germany. |
