First flown in 1938, the Breguet 693 was a light twin-engine ground-attack aircraft that were used by the French Air Force in World War II.
The aircraft was intended to be easy to maintain, pleasant to fly and to be able to fly at 480 km/h (300 mph) at 4,000 m (13,120 ft). The type's sturdy construction was frequently demonstrated and the armament was effective.
The Breguet 693 was armed with three guns in the nose (one 20mm cannon and two 7.5mm machine guns), each angled down by 15 degrees to aid strafing. A small bomb bay replaced the navigator's position of the Br 690.
The Breguet 693 entered service with GBA I/54 and I/54 (GBA: Groupe de Bombardement d'Assaut), replacing the earlier Br 691. GBA I/51 and II/51 also received the Br 693 (operating them alongside the Potez 633), and by 10 May 1941 the Armée de l'Air had 19 Br 691s and 38 Br 693s in front line service.
However, French rearmament began two full years later than that in Britain, and all of these aircraft were simply not available in sufficient numbers to make a difference in 1940.
