Handley Page H.P.50 Heyford.
Setting the stage... This British bomber was ordered in 1928 and first flew in 1930. Heyfords were in service from 1933 to 1939, thus missing the war. They were considered "night bombers" and presumably needed to worry about flak, but not enemy fighters. At any rate, they were even more ugly than the following French designs. (But the English weren't renowned for chic in those days -- at least compared to the French.)

Amiot 143M.
A multiplace do combat built in response to a 1928 army specification. The prototype 140 (in the French numbering system, the final digit represents sequential subtypes of the basic model) first flew in 1931. Production was ordered in late 1933, the first delivery was in 1935, production continued into 1937 and 143s saw combat in 1939-40: keep these dates in mind for comparison.

If you imagine away the fixed landing gear and observation bin on the forward underside of the aircraft, the Amiot 143M does not seem so archaic as it does in its entirety. But those features are there, so the plane is an ugly, clumsy beast.

Farman F.222.
The Farman 220 series comes from a 1929 night bomber specification. The first flight was in 1932 and production took place in 1937-38. Only 50 planes were built, but some saw service in World War 2.

The 222's inception was marginally later than that of the Heyford, which might have been a factor in its being a monoplane rather than a biplane. Another progressive feature was retractable landing gear. Nevertheless, wing struts are present, indicating that it wasn't nearly state-of-the-art structurally. An interesting feature is the positioning of the four motors -- two to a nacelle, one a tractor, the other a pusher. Still, nowhere near being a glamour girl.

Martin B-10B.
This U.S. Army bomber was truly state-of-the-art when first flown in 1932, about the same time as the Farman. Advanced features included cantilevered wings, stressed-skin construction and considerable aerodynamic refinement. The B-10 was already out of first-line service before the war, though some export versions served in the Dutch East Indies in 1942.

Boeing B-17.
The plane pictured is probably a B-17B or C from the late 30s, but it looks almost like the prototype Boeing model 299 that first flew in 1935. This is a further demonstration of how far behind French aircraft design was lagging during that period and how much more attractive American planes were.

Amiot 351.
But all was not lost, chic-wise!! The prototype Amiot 340 bomber first flew in 1937 and the re-engined 350 in 1939. A few 354 models we available for combat in 1940.

There were other up-to-date French bombers and reconnaissance planes as the 30s ended, showing that French aircraft designers were capable of competing with the Americans, Germans and British in terms of airframes. By 1940, the main French failing -- besides slow production -- was that their engines were not as powerful as those of their rivals.