The four-engined S.E.2010 "Armagnac" was originated by Sud-Est at the beginning of the 1940s due to a project called S.E. 2000. The goal of this project was to design a long distance commercial aircraft with greater passenger capacity mainly for Trans-Atlantic service.
The "Armagnac" was one of the two civil commercial aircrafts built with a piston engine after World War II. The purpose was for France to be able to participate in international developments on the international level. The S.E. 2010, in contrast to the S.E. 161 "Languedoc" of Air France, was sparsely ordered since the tried and tested American machines were given preference. Additionally, they soon gained a reputation as insufficient. The bounteous fuselage diameter of the "Armagnac" was 4.7 m for the transport of passengers and mainly for Trans-Atlantic flights. Additionally, the large fuselage had an operational range of about 5,000 km instead of the 6,500 m range which was expected. Therefore, it really could not be utilized for non-stop flights across the Atlantic Ocean. With 64 passengers daily using the aircraft for short distance flights, it was not economical to utilize the S.E.2010 any longer. The series production was terminated after the construction of 8 machines. Originally, there were 15 copies that had ordered.
With a span of nearly 50 m and an initial weight of over 77 tons, the "Armagnac" which took off on its initial flight on April 2, 1949 was one of the greatest civil aircrafts in the world. The first series machine, however, was completed in April 1952. After evaluation of the test results, Air France denied to take the ordered machines.
The model was used by the end of 1952 by the former French airline company TAI (Transports Aériens Intercontinentaux, later UTA), which was utilized for eight months then became unprofitable. By December 1953, the SAGETA (Société Auxiliaire de Gérance et d'Exploitation de Transport Aériens) used seven "Armagnac" for personal transport, mail and supply airplanes to Indochina, where the struggle over colonial power was erupting. With a useful load of 20,000 kg, this model was regarded as reliable and robust. The aircraft was utilized until August 1954. In 1955, the barely used airplanes were dismantled.
The "Armagnac" barely had any success concerning scheduled service flights and was basically utilized by the French aviation industry, however, it is still regarded as a landmark of its time period. It had excellent flight capabilities. It was designed as a cantilever biplane of metal construction and was equipped with four 3,500 PS-strong Pratt & Whitney R.4360-B13 Wasp Major engines and 4 bladed air screws of 4.65 diameter.
The fuselage had a round cross-section of 4.7 m. The Armagnac had a pressurized cabin and a hydraulically retractable undercarriage with two wheels. The wheels of the main undercarriage had a diameter of 1.6 m. In the mid-section of the fuselage there was a bar and a kitchen that were separated by the cabin. The passenger's cabin could seat 88-160 people. In the other rooms of the aircraft, the freight was carried, as well as the luggage. These rooms could hold up to 48 cubic meters of freight. The eight large cell tanks in the wings were 29, 000 I (other sources were 31, 400 I); for oil, four other tanks were used for a total of 1,400 I. The "Armagnac" costed approximately 1 million US-$ in 1950.
The few variations of the S.E.2010 were from the power plant S.O.2060.
Sud-Est S.E.2010 Armagnac
| Type | Long distance commercial aircraft | |
| Manufacturer | SNCASE (Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques de Sud-Est), Toulouse | |
| Power plant | Four air-cooled 28 cylinder radial engines Pratt & Whitney R-4360-B13 Wasp Major with 3,500 PS each (2574.25 kW) | |
| Year of construction | 1950 |
Performance
| Top speed |
525 km/h 495 km/h at an altitude of 4.500 m |
| Economical travel speed | 460 km/h |
| Fuel consumption during flight | 2,100 l/h |
| Landing speed | 120 km/h |
| Service altitude | 6,800 m |
| Operational range | 5,150 km |
| Starting runway distance | approximately 1,400 m |
Weight
| Empty weight |
37,813 kg (other sources give up to 45,700 kg) |
| Take-off weight | 77,500 kg |
Dimensions
| Span | 48.95 m |
| Length | 39.63 m |
| Height | 13.50 m |
| Wing span area | 235.60 qm |
| Crew | 7-9 crew members, of which 3-4 are cabin members | |
| Passenger capacity | 78 (Standard) up to 160 passengers | |
| Useful load | additional 48 cubic meters of freight and luggage | |
| Production quantity | 8 plus 1 prototype |
