The CR.714 recorded its first-flight (formally as the "CR.714.01") on July 6th, 1938 with changes that included a switch to 4 x 7.5mm MAC 1934 series medium machine guns in the wings as standard armament (from the original twin underwing cannons). The weapons system was added to the flyable design in November of 1938 and, as soon as November 5th, French authorities placed an order for twenty of this mark and held on to a future option for 180 more units. The first example was unveiled on June 10th, 1939 and included changes to the landing flaps (now with reduced chord), the wing members (now with reduced camber), and a Renault 12R-03 engine (which permitted greater maneuvers at-speed).
The French Air Force was ultimately not impressed with the CR.714 so the aircraft (and its production units) was passed on to Finland which found itself in desperate need for a modern monoplane fighter (the Soviets had invaded on November 30th, 1939 to spark the "Winter War"). Eighty were planned for the transition to Finland but just six ultimately made the journey and none were to see formal combat operations against the Soviets. Two Polish fighter-training squadrons of the Polish Air Force-in-Exile also received the type and the service managed to fly these examples under operational conditions during the war.
Beyond the CR.714, which was the only version of the CR.710 lot to make it to any sort of meaningful production, their proved other related offshoots/variants of the line. The "CR.720" was proposed as a dedicated trainer form set to carry a down-rated engine of just 100 to 220 horsepower while the "CR.760" was to be developed with the Italian Isotta-Fraschini "Delta" engine of 750 horsepower output. This version flew for the first time in May of 1940 but was destroyed by its handlers ahead of the German advance. The "CR.770" became another proposed offshoot of the line and this model carried a Renault Model 626 16-cylinder engine of 800 horsepower. This entry flew for the first time in November of 1939 but, again, the example was destroyed by the French ahead of the Germans advance.
The ultimate form of the Cyclone series fighters was to become the "CR.780". It was slated to carry a Renault Model 468 series 12-cylinder engine of 500 horsepower driving a pair of three-bladed propeller units in contra-rotating fashion. Proposed armament centered on 2 x Hispano-Suiza HS.404 autocannons coupled with 2 x 7.5mm MAC 1934 machine guns. The CR.780 never made it beyond Caudron-Renault drawing boards.
In all, between 60 to 90 of the CR.710 fighter family were actually built. The last examples were flown by Finland into 1941.
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