History of War – October 2019

DESIGN
Metalskinnedapartfromtheaileronsand
tailsurfaces,theD.520wasbuiltaround
12 framessupportedbyfourlongerons
in thefuselage.Thecockpitsatunusually
farback,to allowthemainfueltank(with
self-sealinglining)to sitin frontof it.
Furtherfueltanksin thewingstubscould
leadto balanceandstabilityproblemsas
theydrainedduringflight.Anuncommonly
largenumberof accesshatchesmade
inspectionsandrepairsmucheasier.

Emile Dewoitine, the designer of

the D.520

French Air Force Dewoitine D.520

A French Air Force

Dewoitine D.520

in flight

A Dewoitine D.520 fighter from the

Museu d’Aviation and Astronautics

collection in Bourges, Paris

A technical drawing of
a Dewoitine D.520