Borel C.2

Developed by Paul Boccaccio for Gabriel Borel’s concern, this two-seat fighter was sent for trials in early 1918 under the official designation Borel C.2. It was a two-seat biplane powered by a 300 hp Hispano-Suiza 8Fb engine. Its armament consisted of one synchronized front-mounted 7.7mm Vickers machine gun and two twin 7.7mm Lewis machine guns, placed on a ring mount in the observer’s cockpit.

Initial calculations indicated it would be a fighter with excellent flight characteristics. However, various problems and a lack of funding meant that work on the aircraft was not completed until 1919. By this time, the aircraft’s designation had changed to Borel-Bocaccio Type 3000 (C2).

Features and Performance

Flight tests proved the aircraft’s stated high performance. Despite this, in the immediate post-war years, the focus shifted to the development of civil aviation, and no orders for the fighter followed.

Unsuccessful Revival

Borel made another attempt to revive the aircraft in 1925, converting the C2 into a two-seat night fighter. The new modification, designated Borel CA n2, featured a different wing and fuselage design, as well as a canopy for night flights. This redesign did not bring a significant increase in characteristics; what had been excellent in 1919 had become merely mediocre by 1925.

Technical Specifications

Modification	C2
Wingspan, m	11.40
Length, m	7.15
Height, m	2.75
Wing area, m2	32.50
Empty weight	807
Normal takeoff weight	1335
Engine type	1 Piston engine Hispano-Suiza 8Fb
Power, hp	1 x 300
Maximum speed, km/h	260
Cruising speed, km/h	225
Practical range, km	600
Rate of climb, m/min	358
Practical ceiling, m	9200
Crew	2
Armament	one synchronized 7.7-mm Vickers machine gun, two twin 7.7-mm Lewis machine guns

Image and diagram gallery of the Borel C.2

C.2	C.2
C.2	C.2
C.2	C.2