The Bréguet 482 was a French four-engined heavy bomber aircraft designed just prior to the outbreak of the Second World War with two prototypes nearing completion when Germany invaded France in 1940, one of which was flown after the end of the war as an experimental platform.
480) to be powered with the specified 914 kW (1,226 hp) Gnome et Rhône 14L radial engines,[1] intended to carry 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) of bombs over a 2,500 km (1,600 mi) radius of action.
Gnome et Rhône abandoned the 14L however, so, after considering a version powered by two Hispano-Suiza 12Y V12 engines, Bréguet reworked the design as the Bréguet 482, with four 1,007 kW (1,350 hp) Hispano-Suiza 12Z engines,[1] with an order for two prototypes placed by the French Air Ministry on 12 May 1938.
[2] The Bréguet 482 was a mid-winged monoplane of all-metal construction, with a clean, low-drag, oval section monocoque fuselage, twin tails and a retractable tailwheel undercarriage.
[3] After the Germans had been driven out, Bréguet resumed work on the Br 482, and proposed to complete it with more powerful Hispano-Suiza 12Z engines and a heavier armament.