Designed by Paul Deville, the Caudron C.270 Luciole (“Firefly”) was a sporting, touring and trainer aircraft derived from the C.230.

It was a conventional biplane with single-bay, unstaggered wings of equal span. The pilot and a single passenger sat in tandem open cockpits. It featured a fabric-covered fuselage in place of the C.230’s wooden one, and other refinements including revised control surfaces and undercarriage, and an improved and simplified wing-folding mechanism.

Over 700 were built in the decade leading up to World War II. Of these, 296 were purchased by the French government for its pilot training programme, the Aviation Populaire. Some were operated by the Spanish Republican Air Force. Many examples saw wartime service as liaison aircraft, and those surviving the conflict saw postwar use as glider tugs in the Ecole de l’Air.

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Variants:
C.270 – first production version with Salmson 7Ac radial engine (82 built)
C.270/1 – version with Salmson 7Ac2 engine
C.271 – version with Lorraine 5Pc engine (1 built)
C.271/2 – version with Lorraine 5Pb engine
C.272 – version with Renault 4Pb inline engine (52 built)
C.272/2 – version with Renault 4Pci engine and taller, more pointed tail fin (22 built)
C.272/3 – version with Renault 4Pdi engine and wheel brakes (15 built)
C.272/4 – version with Renault 4Pei engine and wheel brakes (21 built)
C.272/5 – version with Renault 4Pgi engine(80 built)
C.273 – version with Michel 4A-14 engine (14 built)
C.274 – version with Chaise 4Ba engine for 1932 Paris Salon de l’Aéronautique (1 built)
C.275 – main production version derived from C.272/5 but without wing folding (433 built)
C.276 – version with de Havilland Gipsy III engine
C.276H – version with Hirth HM 504A-2 engine (2 re-engined from C.276)
C.277 – similar to C.272/4 with non-folding wings (9 built)
C.272R – C.275 re-engined with Renault 4Po3 after the war (1 converted)
C.278 – version with new undercarriage and Salmson 9Nc engine to compete in Challenge 1932 (1 built)

Specifications:

C.272
Engine: 1 × Renault 4Pb, 71 kW (95 hp)
Length: 7.67 m (25 ft 2 in)
Wingspan: 9.90 m (32 ft 5 in)
Height: 2.76 m (9 ft 1 in)
Wing area: 24.0 m2 (258 ft2)
Empty weight: 516 kg (1,138 lb)
Gross weight: 780 kg (1,720 lb)
Maximum speed: 158 km/h (98 mph)
Range: 500 km (311 miles)
Service ceiling: 4,000 m (13,120 ft)
Crew: One pilot
Capacity: 1 passenger

C.277 Luciole
Engine: Renault 4 Pei, 140 hp
Wing span: 32 ft 5.5 in
Wing area: 248.2 sq.ft
Length: 25 ft 2 in
Height: 9 ft
Empty weight: 1067 lb
Loaded weight: 1848 lb
Max speed: 107 mph / 93 mph at 3280 ft
Range: 388 mi

Designed by Paul Deville, the Caudron C.230 was a two-seat light biplane with equal-span unstaggered single-bay wings. The upper wing centre-section was braced to the fuselage by four short vertical steel-tube struts; the outer panels, which could be folded, had a pair of vertical spruce inter-plane struts on each side. Ailerons were fitted on the lower wing only. The wooden fuselage structure was fabric-covered, and the cantilever tailplane had a wood frame and was plywood-covered. Each main unit of the wide-track fixed landing gear incorporated a vertical compression leg. The pilot and a single passenger sat in tandem open cockpits.

The prototype Caudron C.230 made its maiden flight in November 1930, piloted by Raymond Delmotte.
The C.230 was powered by a 71kW Salmson radial engine and 15 were built, to be followed by a number of variants.

C.232 is identical to the C.230 except for the Renault engine which replaces the Salmson radial.

The C.232 is a biplane with a 95 hp Renault engine, mainly of wood construction, folding wings, and a steel tube undercarriage. An 85 lt fuel tank is mounted in the top centre section.

The C.232 was introduced into Britain by B.N Aircraft Ltd of Heston Air Park.

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Variants:

C.230
first production version with Salmson 7Ac radial engine (15 built)

C.232
50 built, powered by a Renault 4Pb inline engine in place of the Salmson radial of the same horsepower; the fuselage had plywood covering.

C.232/2
Three built; same as C.232 but with wheel brakes.

C.232/4
Seven built. Identical to C.232/2 except improved equipment.

C.233
A single prototype powered by the unsuccessful Michel AM-16 engine. Later fitted with Salmson engine becoming a C.230

C.235
One airframe fitted with a German Argus As 8R 75kW inline for French Air Ministry tests of this engine.

Specifications:

C.232
Engine: Renault 4Pb, 71 kW / 95 hp
Wingspan: 11.00 m / 36 ft 1 in
Wing area: 24.0 m2 / 258.33 ft2
Length: 7.87 m / 25 ft 10 in
Gross weight: 780 kg / 1715 lb
Empty weight: 420 kg / 926 lb
Fuel capacity: 85 lt / 18.75 Imp.Gal
Luggage capacity: 50 kg / 110 lb
Max. Speed: 165 km/h / 103 mph
Top speed: 150 km / 93 mph
Cruise speed: 130 kph / 81 mph
Ceiling: 4300 m / 13,100 ft
Time to 4300 m / 13,100 ft: 1 hr
Range: 500 km / 310 miles
Endurance: 4 hr
Seats: 2

The Caudron C.190 was a French two-seat low-wing single-engine sports plane, built by Caudron in the late 1920s. First flown in 1929, the only variant of the C.190 family (C.190/191/192/193) to be built in series was the C.193.

Information in publications is vague, but at least six C.193s were produced (reg. F-AJHG, F-AJOB, F-AJSG, F-AJSH, F-AJSI, F-AJSJ) and one Salmson-powered C.192 (F-AJHF). One aircraft, C.193 F-AJSI, was sold to Great Britain in 1930 and registered as G-ABFX, but returned to France in 1931 to be registered as F-ALLJ.

In 1929, aircraft F-AJHF and F-AJHG participated in the Challenge 1929 international touring plane contest, and one of them completed it in 28th place, flown by Raymond Delmotte.

In 1930, three C.193s participated in the Challenge 1930 international touring plane contest (F-AJSG, F-AJSH, F-AJSI), Maurice Finat completing it in 17th place and François Arrachart in 24th place.

Variants:
C.190 – first variant, with 80 hp (58.8 kW) Renault straight engine
C.191 – variant with 95 hp (69.8 kW) Salmson 7AC radial engine
C.192 – variant with 95 hp (69.8 kW) Salmson 7AC radial engine
C.193 – series variant, with 98 hp (72 kW) Renault 4Pb straight engine

Variation:
Odier & Bessiere Clino-giro

Specifications:

C.193
Engine: 1 × Renault 4Pb, 72 kW (97 hp)
Length: 7.48 m (24 ft 6 in)
Wingspan: 11.5 m (37 ft 9 in)
Height: 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in)
Wing area: 13.6 m2 (146 sq ft)
Empty weight: 440 kg (970 lb)
Gross weight: 760 kg (1,676 lb)
Maximum speed: 185 km/h (115 mph; 100 kn)
Cruising speed: 160 km/h (99 mph; 86 kn)
Range: 600 km (373 mi; 324 nmi)
Service ceiling: 4,500 m (14,764 ft)