History
The Loire 130 was a French general purpose flying boat designed to fly from large naval ships such as cruisers and battleships. They were in service before the beginning of World War II and continued flying until 1949.
Design of the Loire 130 commenced in 1933 to meet the requirement for an all-purpose shipboard catapult-launched aeroplane.
The prototype flew in November 1934 and between 1936 and 1940 around 150 were ordered although not all may have been built because of the war.
They entered service in 1938, serving with a number of capital ships, cruisers and a seaplane carrier and many were based in French overseas colonies.
Many were still in service at the end of the war and one was still flying in French Indochina in 1949.
This model represents a Loire 130 in Vichy France service
Azur 1/72 kit. Completed in January 2002.