The hideous Amiot 143 started its life with the 1928 “Multiplace de Combat” requirement; a maid of all work bomber/recon/escort warplane. Amiot presented their 140 (first flight in 1931) to compete against three other “beauties”: Bleriot 137, Bréguet 410 and SPCA 30. After the preceptive tests, the Amiot’s entry was declared the winner. But by that time, the French “Ministère de l’Air” demanded some changes and performance improvements to fulfil the bombing role. The 143 production model remained basically the same basic 140 airframe equipped with a pair of more powerful 870hp Gnome-Rhône 14Kirs/14Kjrs. The 138 produced entered service in 1935, already obsolescent. Some were still in service at the start of WW2, the French employed them mainly as night bombers.

Imagine, you’re a French airman in 1940 flying this in action.
Sort of charming in its total ugliness.