In January 1937, the French Air Ministry (Ministère de l’Air) gave Arsenal de l’Aéronautique a contract to develop a twin-engine heavy interceptor fighter built from wood and powered by two 590 hp Hispano-Suiza 12X engines. The engines were to be mounted in tandem inside the fuselage driving contra-rotating propellers in the nose. Through the course of a few designs, this contract evolved into the all-aluminum VB 10 aircraft. The VB 10 was designed in 1938 by Michael Vernisse and M Badie; the initials of their last names formed the ‘VB’ of the aircraft’s designation.
