Despite the production contract, engineers continued work on the line and VG-34 appeared in early 1940 outfitted with the Hispano-Suiza 12Y-45 engine of 935 horsepower which improved performance at altitude. An uprated engine was installed in VG-35 and VG-36 utilized a Hispano-Suiza 12Y-51 engine of 1,000 horsepower with a revised undercarriage and radiator system. VG-37 was a long-range version that was not furthered and joined the abandoned VG-38 with its Hispano-Suiza 12Y-77 engine. The VG-39 ended the line as the last viable prototype model with its drive emerging from a Hispano-Suiza 12Z engine of 1,280 horsepower. A new three-machine-gun wing was installed for a formidable six-gun armament array. This model was also ordered into production as the VG-39bis and was to carry a 1,600 horsepower Hispano-Suiza 12Z-17 engine into service. However, the German invasion eliminated the need.
The VG-40 became a proposed variant fitting a Rolls-Royce Merlin III engine and the VG-50 another proposed form with an Allison V-1710-39 engine. The VG-60 was a final proposed variant outfitted with a supercharged Hispano-Suiza 12Y-51 engine of 1,000 horsepower. No prototypes were completed.
The finalized VG-33 was an all-modern looking fighter design with elegant lines and a streamlined appearance. Its power came from an inline engine fitted to the front of the fuselage and headed by a large propeller spinner at the center of a three-bladed unit. The cockpit was held over midships with the fuselage tapering to become the tail unit. The tail sat a shallow rounded vertical tail fin and low-set horizontal planes in a traditional arrangement. The monoplane wing assemblies were at the center of the design in the usual way. Vision out-of-the-cockpit was hampered by the nose ahead, the wings below and the raised fuselage spine aft. The pilot sat under a largely unobstructed canopy utilizing light framing and sliding on rails to the rear for access. A large air scoop was identified under the fuselage. The undercarriage was of the typical tail-dragger arrangement of the period. Construction was largely of wood which led to a very lightweight design that aided performance and the manufacture process. Unlike other fighters of the 1930s, the VG-33 was well-armed with a 20mm Hispano-Suiza cannon firing through the propeller hub complemented by 4 x 7.5mm MAC 1934 series machine guns in the wings.
Dimensions included a length of 8.5 meters with a wingspan of 10.8 meters and a height of 3.3 meters. Empty weight was 4,520lbs with a MTOW of 5,855lbs. Power was from a Hispano-Suiza 12Y-31 V12 liquid-cooled inline piston engine of 860 horsepower promoting a maximum speed of 350 miles per hour with a range out to 745 miles and a service ceiling o f36,100 feet. Armament was a single 20mm cannon with four 7.5mm machine guns.
The aircraft never saw combat action in the Battle of France. Its arrival was simply too late to have any effect on the outcome of the German plans. Therefore, with limited production and no combat service, it largely fell into the pages of history with all completed models lost.
Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.