Gourdou-Leseurre

Order of Battle · Aircraft manufacturers · France

Gourdou-Leseurre

Établissements Gourdou-Leseurre · Loire-Gourdou-Leseurre (LGL)

Two brothers-in-law built parasol-wing fighters and catapult floatplanes for France and its allies, until a falling-out between them closed the firm.

1921Founded
Defunct 1934Status
6Aircraft on record
CountryFranceFounded1921FoundersCharles Gourdou, Jean LeseurreHeadquartersSaint-Maur-des-Fossés, near ParisStatusDefunct 1934
The story

Gourdou-Leseurre: the company and the aircraft that made its name

A family firm

Engineers Jean Leseurre and his brother-in-law Charles Gourdou set up Établissements Gourdou-Leseurre at Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, south-east of Paris, in 1921. At first the factory assembled military aircraft under licence, such as the Breguet 14, before the partners became designers in their own right. Their GL.30 racer of 1920 flew the 1923 Coupe Beaumont course at 360 km/h and became the basis of a family of parasol-wing fighters. Like most of their earlier aircraft it had a parasol wing, but with a trapezoidal planform and retractable undercarriage.

The parasol fighter

Between 1925 and 1928 the firm belonged to the Loire shipyard, so its aircraft carried the LGL prefix. The LGL.32 came second in a military fighter trial, yet impressed enough to win orders: 475 for the Aéronautique Militaire, 15 for the Navy, 50 for Romania and 12 for Turkey. Later versions were adapted as carrier dive bombers. The carrier versions had a fork under the fuselage to swing a 50 kg bomb clear of the propeller. Attrition was heavy, and the type was not long-lived.

Floatplanes, then a quarrel

The company also built catapult floatplanes for French warships: the GL-810 HY family, 86 of them, served aboard the seaplane carrier Commandant Teste and on cruisers, and some flew anti-submarine patrols in 1939. By then the firm had gone. In the 1930s Gourdou and Leseurre fell out badly, and the company ended in 1934. The floatplanes descended from the L-2 prototype of 1926 and 1927, which was flown to Copenhagen and demonstrated to several countries.

Two brothers-in-law built parasol-wing fighters and catapult floatplanes for France and its allies, until a falling-out between them closed the firm.Gourdou-Leseurre · verified 2026-10-03
At a glance

Gourdou-Leseurre in numbers

The company

In short
Founded 1921

  • Founded by brothers-in-law Gourdou and Leseurre
  • Owned by the Loire shipyard 1925–1928
  • Closed 1934

Production

Best known for
LGL.32 fighter

  • LGL.32: more than 500 built
  • GL-810 HY floatplanes: 86 built
  • Licence assembly of the Breguet 14

Today

Now
Closed 1934

  • Ended after the founders’ break-up

The numbers

LGL.32 orders
475 French Army, 15 Navy, 50 Romania, 12 Turkey
GL-810/811/812/813 HY built
86
The aircraft

Every notable Gourdou-Leseurre aircraft

Aircraft Role First flight Built Status Note
Gourdou-Leseurre GL.30 Racing aircraft 1920 Retired 360 km/h over the 1923 Coupe Beaumont course
Gourdou-Leseurre GL.31 Fighter prototype 1926 Retired Abandoned in favour of the GL.32
Gourdou-Leseurre LGL.32 Parasol-wing fighter more than 500 Retired Also a carrier dive bomber; exported to Romania and Turkey
Gourdou-Leseurre GL-810 HY Catapult reconnaissance floatplane 1930 24 Retired First production version
Gourdou-Leseurre GL-811 HY Catapult reconnaissance floatplane 20 Retired For the seaplane carrier Commandant Teste
Gourdou-Leseurre GL-812 HY Catapult reconnaissance floatplane 29 Retired
Places, people, records

Where Gourdou-Leseurre built, who led it, what it achieved

Factories

  • Saint-Maur works · Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, Val-de-Marne — Company factory from 1921

People

  • Charles Gourdou · co-founder, designer — Brother-in-law of Jean Leseurre
  • Jean Leseurre · co-founder, designer — Co-founded the firm in 1921

Records and firsts

  • GL.30 averaged 360 km/h over the Coupe Beaumont course, 1923
Timeline

Gourdou-Leseurre, year by year

1920

GL.30 racer built

1921

Établissements Gourdou-Leseurre founded at Saint-Maur

1923

GL.30 flies the Coupe Beaumont at 360 km/h

1925

Taken over by Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire; aircraft badged LGL

1927

First LGL.32 order: five evaluation and 20 pre-production aircraft

1928

Loire ownership ends

1930

First production GL-810 HY flies from the Seine at Les Mureaux

1934

Company closes after the founders fall out

The family tree

Before and after Gourdou-Leseurre

Came afterLoire AviationOwner 1925–1928 and licence builder of the GL-32Read the Loire Aviation page
Questions & Answers

Everything people ask about Gourdou-Leseurre

Who founded Gourdou-Leseurre?
Charles Gourdou and his brother-in-law Jean Leseurre.
What was the LGL.32?
A parasol-wing fighter of the late 1920s, ordered by France, Romania and Turkey.
Why did aircraft carry the LGL prefix?
From 1925 to 1928 the firm belonged to the Loire shipyard, so its designs were badged Loire-Gourdou-Leseurre.
Why did Gourdou-Leseurre close?
Strong disagreements between the two founders led to the end of the company in 1934.

Continue the tour

Around Gourdou-Leseurre

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Sources & Further Reading

Every fact, checked

Verified 2026-10-03.