Marcel Riffard, who joined the French company Societe Anonyme des Avions Caudron as chief designer in 1932, developed his racing aircraft design into a lightweight fighter aircraft as the Caudron C.710. The prototype flew for the first time on 18 July 1936.
The C.713 Cyclone, first flown in December 1937, which was generally similar in overall design and 336kW Renault 12Ro1 powerplant, but introduced retractable tailwheel type landing gear and redesigned vertical tail surfaces. Final evolution of Riffard’s design was the C.714.01 prototype, first flown in the summer of 1938, which differed by having some structural strengthening and a wing of improved profile.
The factory testing of this prototype confirmed Riffard’s performance estimates, and it was handed over to the CEMA for trials in September 1938.

In November 1938 100 C.714 production aircraft were ordered which were required to have four 7.5mm wing-mounted machine-guns. Of low-wing cantilever monoplane configuration, the C.714 was an all-wood construction, except that all control surfaces had light alloy framework and fabric covering. The wing section was so shallow that it was not possible to mount machine-guns conventionally, within the wing structure, and special streamlined pods were designed, these carrying a pair of guns beneath each wing.

Production began in the summer of 1939, and 50 of the aircraft which had been intended to serve with the Armee de I’Air were diverted to the assistance of Finland, but only six had been received by 12 March 1940, the balance being presumed to have been lost en route. It is believed that about 40 C.714s were delivered to the French air force, which, after some 90 had been built, cancelled production because of dissatisfaction with the type’s rate of climb. They were used to equip an all-Polish squadron which became known as the ‘Warsaw Group’ (GC 1/145), this unit seeing action against the Germans between 2-13 June 1940. Following the collapse of France, a small number were used by the Vichy French air force, and about 20 were confiscated by the Germans for use by the Luftwaffe.

Derived from the C-714, the C-714-R was built specially for racing and fitted with a 900 hp Renault 12 R Special. This version was designed by Marcel Riffard and was to be piloted by Raymond Delmotte for an attempt at the world speed record. World War II stopped all that.

Gallery

Caudron C 714 Cyclone
Engine: Renault 12Ro1, 444 hp
Wingspan: 29 ft 5 in / 8.97 m
Wing area: 134.550 sqft / 12.5 sq.m
Length: 27.986 ft / 8.53 m
Height: 9 ft 5 in / 2.87 m
Max take off weight: 3858.8 lb / 1750.0 kg
Weight empty: 3087.0 lb / 1400.0 kg
Max. speed: 262 kts / 485 km/h / 301 mph
Cruising speed: 173 kts / 320 km/h / 199 mph
Service ceiling: 29856 ft / 9100 m
Wing load: 28.70 lb/sq.ft / 140.00 kg/sq.m
Range: 486 nm / 900 km
Crew: 1
Armament: 4x MG 7,5mm

C-714-R
Engine: Renault 12 R Special, 900 hp
Wingspan: 22.14 ft
Length: 28.57 ft
Design speed: 412 mph

Competing with the ANF-Mureaux 190 to meet a Service Technique de l’Aeronautique specification for a lightweight fighter, the C 710 Cyclone, designed by Marcel Riffard, was developed from the Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe racing monoplanes. It was of wooden stressed-skin construction with a 500hp Renault 12R 01 12-cylinder inverted-Vee air-cooled engine.
First flown on 18 July 1936, the C 710-01 was subsequently fitted with two drum-fed 20mm HS-9 cannon in the wings, and was tested at Guyancourt and Villacoublay throughout 1937. On 1 February 1938 it crashed in the Verrieres forest.
Two additional airframes had been built, the second of these being completed as the C 710-02 which differed from the first prototype in having redesigned vertical tail surfaces, taller and more angular. Further development of the basic design concentrated on derivatives embodying retractable undercarriages (C 713, C 714) but were brought to a halt by the German occupation of France in 1940

Engine: 500hp Renault 12R 01 12-cylinder inverted-Vee air-cooled
Take-off weight: 1 645 kg
Empty weight: 1243 kg / 2740 lb
Wingspan: 8.97 m / 29 ft 5 in
Length: 8.53 m / 27 ft 12 in
Height: 2.47 m / 8 ft 1 in
Wing area: 12.50 sq.m / 134.55 sq ft
Max. speed: 455 km/h / 283 mph
Range: 825 km / 513 miles

The prototype C.365 tourer/mailplane made its first public appearance at the1934 Paris Air Show, and about 210 were subsequently built, 70 for the civil market and 140 for the French military.

The first production model, the C.635, seated two pairs in the cabin. Aft of the cabin is a large baggage compartment, and the rear seats can be removed.

C.635
Engine: Renault 453-01 or 5Q-09, 220 hp
Wingspan: 34 ft 1 in
Length: 28 ft 6 in
Height: 7 ft
Wing area: 172.16 sq.ft
Empty weight: 1760 lb
Loaded weight: 2706 lb
Max speed: 186 mph
Cruise: 168 mph
Service ceiling: 19,680 ft
Range: 560 mi