The Amiot 140 was the precursor of the Amiot 143 and was a twin engined that was going to be powered by two of the aforementioned Lorraine 18G Orion W-18 engines delivering an expected power of 691hp each. It was the most direct response to Armée de l'Air's requeriment but due to the obsolescence of the Lorraine engines for the year 1931 (the order was from 1928) the prototype was finished equipped with two Hispano-Suiza 12Nbr inline engines that delivered less theoretical power (650hp) but they were more reliable.
The finished Amiot 140 was renamed as the Amiot 140M (that letter M standing for Modifié - modificated). It was an stressed-skin bomber that won the contest competing against other French aircraft manufacturer firms like Dewoitine.
It has been regarded as one of the ugliest airplanes ever built with a rectangular fuselage, a large and thick wing, awkward looking nose, a large glazed gondola below the superstructure and was armed with three Lewis Mk.II machine guns (as the first indigenous French aircraft machine gun, the 7.5mm MAC wouldn't appear until three years later, in 1934) one in an open cockpit, another spinal one in another open cockpit and both were able of rotating 180º and a last one inside the superstructure facing the tail, below the wings. This last post was completely isolated from the rest of the airplane as it was placed just behind the bomb bay.
It performed well for the Armèe de l'Air and flew for the first time on 12th April 1931. It was tested at the CEMA (Centre d'Essais de Matériels Aériens - Air Material Research Centre) in the French city of Villacoublay and took part on some night maneouvres in July 1933 where some defects were detected and noted in order to be solved in the next model that would've been the Amiot 141.
Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amiot_143
2. http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_amiot_140.html
3. Signal Squadron - Aircraft in Action 189 - French Bombers of World War II in Action
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