The Forges et Ateliers de Construction Latecoere began
its interest in aviation in 1917, showed
L.28
an aircraft at the
1919 Paris Salon, and another two, the LAT 4 airliner and
LAT 6 bomber, in 1921. The Societe Industries d'Aviation
was formed in 1922. From 1925 Latecoere developed
an airline to South America
L.298
and built a series of
commercial aircraft for this route. Part of the Toulouse factory
went to SNCAM in 1936. Developed a series of
bomber aircraft (L.28, L.29) and torpedo-carrying floatplanes,
the L.290 and L.298, the latter
L.521
in service in 1939-
1940. Some LeO flying-boats also built. In the 1930s
developed a number of two- and four-engined commercial flying-boats, culminating in the six-engined
L.521 Lieutenant de Vaisseau Paris of 1938 and L.631 of
1939.
L.631 "Lionel de Marmier"
Construction of the latter was interrupted by the
war, but four were eventually completed by Breguet
and used on commercial routes in the Mediterranean until
1948. The firm was sequestered in 1945 under the name
of Ateliers Aeronautiques de Toulouse, but returned to the
original owners and name in 1947.
