Heller 80359 AAC.1 TOUCAN

The Amiot AAC.1 Toucan was a transport plane manufactured in France from the period of World War II and the post-war period in the low wing configuration with the landing gear retracted in flight in the classic configuration. The drive was provided by three radial engines - initially BMW 132, and later French, produced at the Gnome-Rhone plant. The plane did not have permanent on-board weapons. After the defeat of France in 1940, the German authorities decided to use the potential of the French aviation industry and outsource the production of their own selected aircraft structures. One of the aircraft produced in this way was the Junkers Ju-52 / 3m (the famous "Tante Ju"), which was manufactured at the Colombes plant near Paris. By 1944, approximately 370 aircraft of this type had been produced for the German occupier. After the liberation of France by the Allied forces, the Colombes plant continued the production of Ju-52, but under the designation Amiot AAC.1 Toucan, also using domestic power units to a large extent. Compared to the original - apart from the lack of on-board weapons and other engines - the Amiot AAC.1 Toucan differed in a reinforced structure and undercarriage. Its production lasted until 1948, and about 415 machines were created during it. They were used primarily in the French colonies in Africa and Indochina.