With details outlined in Military Specification T.6/36, the Don was to be a three seat, low wing, general purpose trainer, with the same flying characteristics as the new monoplane fighters and bombers then entering service. In the interests of economy, it was to be a combination trainer, suitable as an advanced pilot trainer as well as radio operator and gunnery training.
Arthur E. Hagg designed an aircraft that had four welded steel tube frames bolted together, and attached to a wooden monocoque fuselage which consisted of four resin impregnated moulded plywood sections. The top and bottom sections were curved in heated moulds, while the middle fuselage sections were flat. These sections were strengthened along the joints by wooden stringers which gave the fuselage two distinct lines were the panels overlap.
The wings were built in three sections. The front and rear spars were plywood box structures overlain by two thin layers of diagonal spruce planking, the leading edge being plywood covered.
The de Havilland Gipsy Twelve engine installed originally in the D.H.91 Albatross was renamed Gipsy King for military use and selected to power Air Ministry Specification T.6/36. Fitted with one inverted V-12-cylinder D.H. Gipsy King 1 air-cooled engine producing 525 BHP at 2,400 rpm, Hagg incorporated the ductd reverse-airflow cooling system he had designed for the Albatross. The air intakes. were built into the leading edges of the wings, the air ducted over the top of the engine inside the cowl, down past the cylinders to exit via the centre of the inverted Vee, and out through the back of the engine. This to intake the Don aerodynamically very clean in order to achieve a high performance from a relatively low-powered engine. Maximum speed was 216 mph (348 km/h) at 8,000 ft (2438 in) arid a service ceiling of 21,500 ft (6401 m) and a range of 855 miles (1376 km), stretching out to 890 miles (1432 km) could be attained when configured as a purely communications aircraft.
The Air Ministry dictated that the fuselage had to be big enough for the instructor and air gunner to be able to change seats in flight, arid that two men had to be able to remove and replace the engine in two hours. A variable pitch propeller was to be fitted. The Pupil and instructor were to sit side-by side and have a standard set of instruments for blind flying, while the gunner had to be completely sheltered front the wind, which meant the Don had to be fitted with a turret.
The Air Ministry dictated that the fuselage had to be big enough for the instructor and air gunner to be able to change seats in flight, arid that two men had to be able to remove and replace the engine in two hours. A variable pitch propeller was to be fitted. The Pupil and instructor were to sit side-by side and have a standard set of instruments for blind flying, while the gunner had to be completely sheltered front the wind, which meant the Don had to be fitted with a turret. Extra pressure to finish the aircraft came when the RAF ordered 250 Don Trainers but, just as Hagg was making progress, the Air Ministry sent pages of amendments to Hatfield. These were dated 25th July 1936.
Without warning, in February 1937, the de Havilland Aircraft Company announced that Hagg had resigned, he eventually being replaced by another of the design team, Ronald E. Bishop.
Bishop and his team finished the Don prototype L23871 and it was first flown at Hatfield 18 June 1937. Eight days later Flt/Lr E. R.Symonds flew it at the S.B.A.C. air show.
Following manufacturer’s initial trials, during which small auxiliary fins were fitted beneath the tailplane, the aircraft was transferred to Martlesham Heath on 14th September for official evaluation but fell short of what the Air Ministry had by then decided they wanted.
The prototype was flown by three pilots, who found that “unusual” force was needed to stall the aircraft, for the control column got progressively heavier as the speed slowed and the stick was pulled back. With the flaps up the Don stalled marked with a sharp wing drop. With the flaps down, the wing drop was less marked, but was accompanied by a snatching of the ailerons so that, although control was quickly regained when the nose dropped, for a moment the wing could not be raised with the ailerons. The Don prototype was returned to de Havilland’s where the stalling problems were improved with the addition of a four-foot long strip to the wing leading edge. Small fins were fitted near the ends of the tail plane and thereafter the Don stalled without the vicious wing drop. On 19th January 1938 a pilot from Martlesham came over to Hatfield to retest the aircraft and he considered that the handling was now acceptable provided a spring loaded elevator control system was fitted to reduce the load on the control column during take-off.
A three bladed propeller was fitted to the second Don to improve the take-off, but to achieve a satisfactory climb rate, the engine supercharger had to be boosted to get the revs up to the required level. More changes were made and the mass balances on the elevator, as well as new undercarriage oleo struts, finally produced a satisfactory landing and take-off roll. The test pilots acknowledged that the handling had improved, but criticised the poor view, difficulty in getting in and out, excessive take-off distance, and heavy elevator controls.
Armament consisted of one Lewis gun with three magazines, in an enclosed rotating turret, one fixed Browning gun in the wing and provision for 16 practice bombs tinder wing. llowever the Brownin, machine gun tended to fire erratically and several modifications were made to improve this, but to no avail. The changes needed to satisfy the RAF were still as elusive as ever and then, on 24th June 1938, the Air Ministry told de Havilland’s that the Don was no longer required and the order for all 250 machines was cancelled.
The Air Ministry had selected the Miles Master for advanced pilot training and the Avro Anson and Airspeed Oxford for twin-engine, navigation, radio and air gunnery training. But when it was pointed out that when they cancelled the Don, the RAF would end up with a large number of Gipsy Twelve (renamed Gipsy King for the Don) engines from the production line with no aircraft to put them in. To settle this dilemma de Havilland’s were given an order for 50 three-seat communications aircraft to be converted from the Don Trainer. The first conversion, L2391, went to Martlesham in September 1938 with the turret removed to test its suitability of carrying three people with parachutes. Accessibility for less agile passengers, such as senior officers, was fixed by adding an external step on the fuselage and an internal step with a hand grip. However the pilot’s seat was considered uncomfortable because the fixed back was not high enough and the safety harness prevented the pilot from leaning forward to reach the instruments. In addition there was no cockpit heating and the emergency exit in the roof was difficult i to open if the pilot stayed seated. On 22nd September 1938, the first communications Don, L2391, was completing a fuel consumption test at 10,000 ft (3048 m). The pilots came down to 3,000 ft (914 m) but when they opened the throttle nothing happened, they then tried all sorts of combinations of throttle and propeller settings to no avail. They attempted a cross-wind landing with the undercarriage down but stalled and the undercarriage was torn off and the fuselage then broke near the rear spar.
Only 30 Dons ever flew and even in the communications role the aircraft had a very short service life, with most converted to instructional airframes. Of this total 20 were delivered as engineless airframes and the remainder converted for communications duties with No. 24 Squadron and a number of station Flights.
D.H.93 Engine: 1 x de Havilland Gipsy King 1, 391kW Max take-off weight: 3112 kg / 6861 lb Empty weight: 2291 kg / 5051 lb Wingspan: 14.48 m / 47 ft 6 in Length: 11.38 m / 37 ft 4 in Height: 2.87 m / 9 ft 5 in Wing area: 28.24 sq.m / 303.97 sq ft Max. Speed: 304 km/h / 189 mph Ceiling: 7100 m / 23300 ft Range: 1432 km / 890 miles
In 1930, the owner of a London bus company, Edward Hillman, opened air services from London to the seaside. He used an aircraft especially designed for him, the de Havilland Dragon, carrying eight passengers.
The Dragon Rapide was a direct development of the Dragon, employing the same structure but having tapered wings, 149kW Gipsy Six engines and a faired-in undercarriage. Known originally as the Dragon Six, it was first (E-4, later CH287) was flown on 17 April 1934 at Hatfield, put in production in 1934, and remained in production for more than ten years.
Construction consisted of a boxlike structured fuselage with plywood panelling on the inside and fabric covering on the outside. Wings had wooden spars and fabric covering.
In 1935, a military Dragon Rapide lost to the Anson as the RAF’s future Coastal Command reconnaissance machine. In 1938, the first RAF Dragon Rapide was delivered for communications duties, and eventually it became a mass production wireless (radio) trainer as well as a utility transport. It received the RAF name Dominie in 1941. Total production for the RAF and Fleet Air Arm was 521, the last being delivered in 1946.
The 48 ft spruce and fabric wings have ailerons on all four and split trailing-edge flaps are on the bottom wings between the engines and fuselage.
It remained in production until 1945 and a total of 738 were built. After the war the Rapide served for several years as interim equipment of BEA, Iraqi Airways, Jersey Airways, KLM and other airlines until more modern equipment became available.
Fine pitch props were often fitted to enable an extra 200 lb payload and better short field and climb performance. The DH Rapide were slightly slower than the original flapless DH.89s. The DH89A was produced in 1935 to Capt Fresson’s requirements (of Highland Airways, Inverness) and incorporated landing flaps, a landing light in the nose, and cabin heating.
In addition many military models were exported, some (for Iraq and Spain) being of the DH 89M armed variant. Typical armament was three machine guns (one fixed, and manually aimed dorsal and ventral) and a bombload of up to 127 kg (280 lb).
A number of Dragon Rapides were also operated on Fairchild-produced floats by Canadian airlines, produced in Canada by de Havilland’s Toronto-based company.
RNZAF Dominie
One example of the DH89A Dragon Rapide was owned by the NZ National Airways Corp (ZK-AHS Mokai) 1948-57 and five were impressed from civil airlines by the RNZAF 1939-45 and used as patrol and navigation aircraft. Fourteen DH89B Dominie served with the RNZAF for training and reconnaissance during 1943-53. The NZ National Airways Corp operated six DH89B 1947-64 (ZK-AKS Teoteo; ZK-ALB Tikaka; ZK-AKU Tawaka; ZK-AKT Tareke; ZK-ALC Tiora; ZK-AKY Tui).
DH.89B ZK-AKT
The Breda Ba.44 was a 1934 licence-built DH.89 Dragon Rapide. The prototype (MM.267) had 2 x 155 hp Colombo S.63 inline 6-cylinder engines mounted on lower, revised wing plan. Production Ba.44 were powered by 2 x 200 hp DH Gipsy Six in lowered position.
DH.89 Rapide Engines: 2 x de Havilland Gipsy Six, 205 hp. Prop: 2 blade metal. Wing span: 48 ft 0 in (14.63 m). Length: 34 ft 6 in (10.51 m). Height: 10 ft 6 in. Wing area: 336.0 sq.ft. (31.22 m). Gross weight: 5,550 lb (2:517 kg). Empty wt. 3,230 lb. Fuel capacity 76 ImpG. Maximum speed: 135 kts / 253 km/h (157 mph). Typical cruising speed: 132 mph (212 km/h) at 2.000 ft (610 m). Initial climb rate 867 fpm. Service ceiling: 19029 ft / 5800 m Takeoff run 870 ft. Landing roll 510 ft. Typical range: 578 miles (930 km). Seats: 8 Price new: £3500
DH89A Dragon Rapide Engines: 2 x DH Gipsy Six, 200 hp Wingspan: 48 ft / 14.63 m Length: 34 ft 6 in / 10.51m Max speed: 157 mph / 253 kph Crew: 1 Passengers: 5
D.H.89A Mk 4 Engines: 2 x de Havilland Gipsy Queen 2, 149kW/ 200 hp Max take-off weight: 2722 kg / 6001 lb Empty weight: 1465 kg / 3230 lb Wingspan: 14.63 m / 47 ft 12 in Length: 10.52 m / 34 ft 6 in Height: 3.12 m / 10 ft 3 in Wing area: 31.21 sq.m / 335.94 sq ft Max. speed: 241 km/h / 150 mph Cruise speed: 225 km/h / 140 mph Ceiling: 4875 m / 16000 ft Range: 837 km / 520 miles
DH.89B Dominie Engine: 2 x DH Gipsy Queen III, 200 hp. Wingspan: 48 ft / 14.63 m Length: 34 ft 6 in / 10.51m Max speed: 157 mph / 253 kph Crew: 1 Cruise: 132 mph. Pax cap: 8.
As a result of interest being shown in de Havilland’s D,H.60M “Metal Moth” as a cheap introduction to combative military operations, de Havilland built in November 1930 what they described as a “D.H.T. (Training) Moth”. Essentially a D.H.60M with a de Havilland Gipsy II engine with an inverted fuel system, aircraft No 1672 was complete by December 5. Compared with the earliest civil versions the D.H.60T was strengthened to allow it to operate at a higher all-up weight, and it could also carry four 9-kg (20-lb) practice bombs under the fuselage.
Following review, the company decided that it could be further improved; developed to Specification 15/31, anchorage of the front and rear lift wires was repositioned, allowing unhindered access onto the walkway and the root-ends of the upper mainplanes were cut away to improve the upward view.
Designated as a D.H.60T Moth Trainer and registered G-ABKU on April 1, 1931, it was despatched to the Aeroplane & Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) at Martlesham Heath under de Havilland’s test marks E.3, but was dismantled in July and “reduced to redundant stock”.
Working with another airframe, the de Havilland team’s new task to comply with the Air Ministry’s requirements was to rearrange the geometry of the cabane structure. The forward shift of the centre section tank proved to be 18in measured at the wing root, and the trial installation was scrutinised by Geoffrey de Havilland and test pilot Hubert Broad, who was not totally convinced, with the result that the centre section was moved forward by a further 4in.
The change in geometry solved the cockpit accessibility, but the aircraft was now seriously out of balance.
The simplest and cheapest option was to sweep back all four wings, the degree determined after moving the interplane struts 9in forward of their original location, but it proved not to be sufficient. Further sweepback was added to the top wings alone until the centre of gravity (cg) conditions were considered to be satisfied. This precluded the ability to fold the wings, not a drawback for military operators but a major selling feature of all other Moths.
On July 10, 1931, the aircraft was identified as a “D.H. Training Moth T1” fitted with a Gipsy II engine. It is probable that the core of the T1 Moth was the former G-ABIKS, which, as E.4, was flown by Jack Tyler on July 21. E.4 never qualified for a C of A before it too was declared redundant and dismantled.
To comply with another Air Ministry requirement, a prospective training aeroplane had to be given a name, one beginning with “T” (for Trainer), and de Havilland chose Tiger Moth.
The decision to “invert” the Gipsy II engine was taken in 1929, the resultant Gipsy III offering the same horsepower but a much improved forward view and higher thrust-line. The first Trainer with the revised swept wings and a Gipsy III to be designated D.H.60T Tiger Moth was No 1726, registered G-ABNI on June 25, 1931.
Sales Director Francis St Barbe was still concerned about prospects in Canada, and in August G-ABNI was despatched to Toronto. The second D.H.60T Tiger Moth, G-ABNJ, was delivered by Hubert Broad to Martlesham Heath on August 18 as E.5, and the general impression was favourable. In the opinion of test pilots, landing in a crosswind put the into wind wingtip perilously close to the ground and when taxying across uneven territory, any down-aileron could make contact with the surface. At de Havilland’s factory, a third D.H.60T, G-ABPH, was re-rigged to accept 40deg 30sec of dihedral on the lower wings only, an increase of 1deg 45sec over the setting of the top mainplanes, solving the problems and the type was cleared in September as a prospective military trainer. Adding sweep to the constant chord wing changed the relationship between the angle of the ribs and the airflow, resulting in a less efficient section. The company viewed the prospect of modifying their jigs with some alarm. The RAF 15 (modified) wing profile had been carefully chosen but the company decided to make no immediate change to the design of the wing and never did.
Eight aircraft were manufactured to the D.H.60T Tiger Moth specification. Following the delivery of G-ABNI to Canada, Hubert Broad flew G-ABNJ to Stockholm in December, where in appalling weather he demonstrated the open cockpit biplane over several days. It remained in Sweden, and was sold to the Flygvapen (Swedish air force) under the designation Sk 11. It was an important sale which led to further orders and licensed manufacture in Sweden. Tiger Moth G-ABPH was sold to de Havilland’s Portuguese agent and the remaining five aircraft were all sold to China.
The design department decided that sufficient major alterations had been embodied in the basic D.H.60 for a new Type Number to be applied to the Tiger Moth. This was not a hasty decision; a change usually signalled the need for a new Type Record to be established, a time consuming and expensive exercise. The next number was D.H.82, and interested parties were advised the price of the new aircraft was £1,045.
The Air Ministry awarded a contract for a prototype D.H.82, c/n 1733, against a unique specification, 15/31. Painted silver, it was flown by Hubert Broad under B Conditions as E.6 (later registered G-ABRC) on October 26, 1931. An order had already been placed for a further 35 aircraft to specification 23/31, essentially the same as the build standard of No 1733.
The D.H.82 Tiger Moth prototype, G-ABRC, first flown by Hubert Broad under B Conditions as 11 on October 26,1931. The aircraft survived until 1956 when it was broken up and burnt at Croydon. All Tiger Moths ordered by the Air Ministry were fitted with Handley Page automatic slats on delivery as part of the standard specification. The advertised cost of supplying and fitting slats early in 1932 was £18 with a further ten guineas required for a slot-locking device operable from the cockpit. An additional sum of £38 11s 6d was paid to Handley Page as a royalty on each set fitted.
The first six of the RAF’s D.H.82 Tiger Moths, K2567-K2572, were scheduled for delivery to No 3 Flying Training School (FTS) at Grantham on November 9, 1931, but owing to poor visibility the flight was postponed. Conditions improved sufficiently the following day and, leaving at 0945hr, the flight took 65min.
In December 1932 K2578 arrived at Martlesham Heath to begin flutter trials, with the result that mass balance weights were recommended for the ailerons. In February 1933, K2570 joined the programme to investigate the inverted envelope and K2583 began trials on November 13, which resulted in a recommendation for mass balancing of the rudder.
The improved Gipsy III engine was initially designated Gipsy IIIA, but the military connection was considered vital, and the name Gipsy Major was adopted for full production in 1932.
Unprecedented for aero-engines of the period, the Gipsy Major 1 was introduced into service with an overhaul life of 450hr, a 50 per cent increase over the Gipsy 1 of 1927. By July 1933, it had risen to 750 hr and by August 1937 to the magic 1,000, but that was not the end.
At the all-up weight of 1,8251b, maximum speeds were 109 m.p.h. at sea level reducing to 99 m.p.h. at 10,000ft, with a cruising speed of 93 m.p.h. and petrol consumption of six gallons per hour. With a fuel capacity of 18 gal, range was 279 miles. The new engine improved performance with a reduction by 17yd to achieve a take-off run of 156yd from a standing start to lift-off.
For an aircraft designed primarily for circuit training, a service ceiling of 13,600ft might have seemed fairly academic, or an absolute value of 18,100ft, but de Havilland’s main thrust early in 1933 was to promote the Tiger Moth as a multi-role military trainer in which bomb-aiming and photographic reconnaissance from such altitudes would have been normal operational practice.
The opportunity was taken in the summer of 1932 to refine the airframe, The front fuselage side frames were redesigned and the fabric-covered hoop-and-stringer arrangement of the rear top decking was replaced with a single spruce and ply construction. New compression legs from Dowty replaced rubber blocks with coil springs. Further changes were made to the top wings to introduce a standard maximum aerobatic weight of 1,7501b. Space for an extra gallon was designed into the centre section fuel tank by rounding out the leading edge. First to take advantage of all the improvements was c/n 3148, supplied to the Ministry of War in Madrid at the end of 1932.
The first Tiger Moth which incorporated all the airframe improvements and with a Gipsy Major engine was c/n 3175. Registered G-ACDA on February 6, 1933, this machine is acknowledged as the first definitive D.H.82A, one of a batch of ten for No 1 Elementary & Reserve Flying Training School (ERFTS).
Two, with twin floats supplied by Short Brothers, were built to Specification T.6/33 for RAF evaluation at Rochester and Felixstowe.
Aware of the need for economy in March 1934, the Air Ministry announced an order for 50 D.H.82A Tiger Moths, listed as Tiger Moth Mk IIs, to be delivered less engines to RAF Kenley between November 1934 and the following February, to Specification T.26/33. The aircraft were serialled K4242-K4291 and allocation was throughout the RAF, not as trainers, but to serve with squadrons and station flights, communications units, practice flights, and an army co-operation unit. Tiger Moth IIs had hoods which could be positioned over the rear cockpit for instrument flying instruction.
Others were supplied to the Bristol Aeroplane Company, the de Havilland School of Flying, Brooklands Aviation Ltd, Phillips and Powis School of Flying, Reid and Sigrist Ltd, Airwork Ltd and Scottish Aviation Ltd for the Elementary and Reserve Flying Schools which these companies operated under the RAF expansion scheme. 44 such schools were in operation in August 1939, although 20 of them closed when hostilities began.
The most radical of all modifications resulted in the first Tiger Moth Fighter, Persian serial 122, unveiled in October 1932. Located in the front cockpit, a 0.30in-calibre machine gun was capable of delivering 900 rounds per minute. It was never clear whether this was a fighter trainer or a true fighting aircraft but the aircraft was deployed around the Persian oilfields at Abadan.
The de Havilland company had resisted a substantial redesign of the Tiger Moth but by the end of 1934 found itself being shepherded in the wake of new RAF requirements. The most obvious was likely to be a more powerful engine, and the Gipsy Six was the natural candidate. Good take-off and climb performance was necessary while speed was of little consequence. The aircraft should have more spacious cockpits, facility for a manoeuvrable observer’s gun to the rear and a synchronised forward firing machine gun.
Early in January 1935, shortly before delivery of the 1,000th Gipsy Major engine, the de Havilland directors were divided on whether a bigger, all-purpose development was preferable to a modified version of the standard Tiger Moth, with the front fuselage adapted to provide more spacious cockpits and other refinements, while retaining the Gipsy Major. Hugh Buckingham reported from Sweden that the Tiger Moth had fallen into disfavour. Instructors believed it was too small and too easy to fly, and cramped cockpits were not compatible with a pilot in a winter flying suit.
Nikolaus von Eltz, de Havilland’s agent in Vienna, raised almost identical criticism. He had been advised by the Austrian air force that the D.H.82 was an old design: no longer were control cables run outside the fuselage and across a non-adjustable tailplane. The aircraft had no mainwheel brakes, nor a tailwheel, and was not very good at aerobatics. In April 1936, St Barbe admitted that had it not been for other major preoccupations the Tiger Moth would have been replaced some time previously. He considered it to be “on its last legs” and at the current price of £1,100, unlikely to attract orders. St Barbe cut the price to £850, a figure at which it could be produced at “no loss”. By the end of 1936, the company was considering a three year plan in which design capacity would be allocated to a replacement, probably from April 1937.
Orders continued in sufficient numbers to maintain the line, which was fortuitous as on May 27, 1938, the company was told that it would receive a contract from the Air Ministry for 400 Tiger Moths, the last to be delivered by September 30 the following year. At a required average monthly production rate of 25 aircraft, it would be difficult to fulfill the contract without assistance, so the Air Ministry agreed to allow de Havilland in Toronto to step in as a sub-contractor.
In the interim, the Air Ministry placed an order in May 1938 for 50 and in June confirmed their order for an additional 400. In September, they ordered another 300.
In 1939 the company prepared a scheme for a D.H.82B Tiger Moth incorporating remedies for all the major criticisms. The fuselage was widened by 4in and a larger fin and horn-balanced rudder were designed to provide inherent stability. Elevator trim tabs and horn balances were installed to improve aerodynamic fore-and-aft trim, replacing the previous crude but effective method of spring tensioning. An important airframe upgrade for the D.H.82B was a Hornet Moth style undercarriage with a wider track and the wheels set further forward to permit functional cable operated brakes, augmented by a tailwheel. An increased capacity fuel tank was planned plus an experimental powerplant, the Gipsy Major IIA which produced 160 b.h.p. at 2,500 r.p.m.
On 17 September 1939, just two weeks after war had been declared, TV Flight of the British Expeditionary Force Communications Squadron (later No. 81 Squadron) was despatched to France. Throughout the winter and the following spring, the unit’s Tiger Moths operated in northern France, providing communications facilities until the Dunkirk evacuation, when surviving aircraft were flown back to Britain.
Preparations were also made for the Tiger Moth to be used in an offensive role, to combat the threatened German invasion. Racks designed to carry eight 9kg bombs were fitted under the rear cockpit or, more suitably, beneath the wings. Although some 1,500 sets of racks were made and distributed to the Flying Schools, 350 Tiger Moths were fitted and none were used operationally. Rather earlier, in December 1939, six coastal patrol squadrons were formed, five of them equipped with Tiger Moths. However futile this may seem, it was considered that despite an inability to attack, the sound of any engine might deter a U-boat commander from running on the surface and thus reduce his capacity to attack shipping.
The ‘paraslasher’; a scythe-like blade fitted to a Tiger Moth and intended to cut parachutist’s canopies as they descended to earth. Flight tests proved the idea, but it was not officially adopted.
The Tiger Moth ‘human crop sprayer’ used a tank fitted in the front cockpit with powder dispensers located under the wings. The tank would be filled with ‘Paris Green’, an extremely poisonous insecticide. It was intended that low flying aircraft would dust the German troops as they waded ashore.
In the Far East a small number of Tiger Moths were converted for use as ambulance aircraft, the luggage locker lid being enlarged and a hinged lid cut into the rear fuselage decking, providing a compartment some 1.83m long which could accommodate one casualty.
The outbreak of war saw civil machines impressed for RAF communications and training duties, and larger orders were placed.
Little is known about the D.H.82B Tiger Moth, a designation often erroneously applied to the D.H.82 Queen Bee. One prototype was constructed, c/n 1989, and tested as E.11 in 1939. Improvements were considered worthwhile, but the more pressing need for high-volume production of a proven primary trainer overtook the need for refinement which brought the D.H.82B project to a premature end in 1940.
The DH82B Queen Bee was built using the wooden Gipsy Moth fuselage and Tiger Moth flying surfaces, a wind-driven generator to provide electrical power, and a larger-capacity fuel tank, and was used as radio-controlled drone for gunnery practice. The prototype was flown manually on 5 January 1935, and 380 were possibly built subsequently.
When war was declared on September 3, 1939, some 1,300 Tiger Moths had been built in eight years at Stag Lane and Hatfield, the latter delivering 660 in 1939 alone.
The Air Council promised in October 1939 that de Havilland was to receive a contract for 2,000 Tiger Moths, and reservedly agreed that 1,000 could be sub-contracted to Morris Motors. In order for Hatfield to concentrate on its new Mosquito project the company agreed to an immediate and total transfer of all Tiger Moth production to Morris Motors at its Cowley, Oxford, factory.
Some of Cowley’s first efforts in the form of T7013 were the subject of critical analysis at Hatfield at the beginning of April 1940, which resulted in 67 observations worthy of comment. The Cowley Works’ Superintendent had already caused some dismay among the de Havilland advance party in claiming that the assembly of an aircraft should be treated no differently from that of a motor vehicle. Perhaps the eventual smooth output of 3,210 Tiger Moths from Cowley vindicated this philosophy to some degree.
The first Cowley-built aircraft was T7011, transferred by road to Witney and test flown by Guy Tucker on May 15, 1940. A further 18 aircraft flew from Witney while the aerodrome at Cowley was being improved before Tucker flew T7029, the first from home ground, on June 27.
In a wartime trainer role the Tiger Moth equipped 28 Elementary Flying Training Schools in the UK, 25 in Canada (plus four Wireless Schools), 12 in Australia, four in Rhodesia (plus a Flying Instructors School), seven in South Africa, and two in India. After the war 22 Reserve Flying Schools and 18 University Air Squadrons flew Tiger Moths, most re-equipping with the de Havilland Chipmunk between 1950 and 1953.
With the military training machine in top gear, the requirement for new Tiger Moths diminished from February 1944 and numbers of complete but dismantled aircraft were delivered by road into “purgatory stores” in and around Oxford. The last Tiger Moth constructed at Cowley was PG746, taken on charge on July 24, 1944.
The first aircraft production at Prestwick was 50 DH Queen Bee target drones (unmanned Tiger Moths) assembled in 1943/4 by Scottish Aviation Ltd.
From June to October 1945, many stored aircraft were routed back to Cowley where they were customised, erected, test flown and delivered to RAF Maintenance Units at Aston Down, Colerne, Little Rissington and Llandow, before sale or gift-in-aid to overseas’ air forces.
Postwar, the RAF transferred many for civil and military use to Belgium, France and the Netherlands, but in the UK and elsewhere they became available in quantity on the civil market. In addition to obvious use as trainers, or for sport and pleasure, they found unexpected employment. Many gave valuable service in an agricultural duster/sprayer capacity, a role which proved to be of great importance to New Zealand.
After aerial topdressing trials in 1948, in the first year Tiger Moths dropped about 5080 tonnes / 3000 tons of phosphate fertiliser on about 19,200 hectares / 48,000 acres of New Zealand farmland.
A number were the subject of conversion schemes, usually to provide enclosed accommodation. The most ambitious was that carried out by the British company Jackaroo Aircraft Ltd, which involved widening the fuselage to seat four passengers in side-by-side pairs; open cockpit and enclosed cabin variants were included in the 19 Thruxton Jackaroo conversions completed by the company in the period 1957-9.
The Royal Air Force Museum
Tiger Moth NL985 had been in continuous military service from delivery in August 1944 until withdrawn from flying duties eight years later. Recategorised as an Instructional Airframe, 7015M, the aircraft was withdrawn to Colerne and there restored to operational configuration with a late wartime camouflage finish to become part of the Royal Air Force Exhibition Unit.
Allocated to the new RAF Museum at Hendon, NL985 was moved onto the site in 1972 to permit final building work to continue around them. Unfortunately vandals breached poor security at the site and set fire to the Tiger Moth, which was burned out.
The RAF, the world’s biggest user of the type, now had no Tiger Moth at all and turned to the Royal Navy for assistance. Tiger Moth T6296 had served with the RAF until December 1946 when it was transferred to the Admiralty and retired from flying activity at Yeovilton in September 1973. Painted in RAF brown and green camouflage, T6296 was presented to the Museum to fill the vacant space and in April 1990 was transferred to the Battle of Britain Hall.
Construction –
Mainplanes
Each plane consists of two heavy I-section spruce spars with leading and trailing edge and ribs of normal wood structure. The tip bends are of light alloy tubing. The planes are internally braced by swaged rod and high-tensile steel wire completing a structure which is unaffected by any slight shrinkage which might take place in the spar. The interplane struts are of spruce with steel end sockets and the drag bracings are duplicated.
Fuselage
Tubing to specification DTD 89A is used for round tubes in the construction of the fuselage, and DTD 113 for square tubes. Lower crossmembers terminating with fittings for root ends of the lower wings are especially constructed parts. The various stiffening plates at the welded joints are mild steel plate to specification S.3.
The front fuselage, which is parallel in plan, is built of two flat sides welded and drilled in a jig, forming easily- replaceable units which are bolted to the crossmembers.
The rear fuselage, from the rear of the pilot’s seat to the sternpost, is a completely rigid welded-up unit, jigbuilt. The four longerons are of square tube; struts, diagonals and crossmembers are of round tube. A small quantity of 1/4in-diameter by 22 s.w.g. steel tubing is also used as stays for the rear fuselage fairing formers.
The engine bay structure consists of two side frames, each made of three square tubes in triangular form, welded flat in a jig at the joints and assembled to the front fuselage by bolted fishplate. A stay tube braces the structure against side loads.
Empennage
The tail follows the normal de Havilland practice and is constructed of wood and fabric-covered. The control surfaces have trailing bends of light-alloy tubing. The tailplane is not adjustable in flight, but longitudinal trim is attained by an adjustable spring loading on the elevator circuit.
Undercarriage
The divided-axle undercarriage’s sprung legs use rubber- in-compression. The top ends are attached to the fuselage lower longeron and the other ends to the wheel ends of the cranked half-axles, which terminate at a tripod fitting under the fuselage. The structure is completed by a forward-raked stay tube from the lower end of the leg casing to the fuselage.
Controls
All control operating gear is housed in a control box running centrally along the cockpit floor, forming a unit which may be easily removed for periodic inspection. The controls in the front cockpit are detachable, the control columns by withdrawing a safety locking pin, and the rudder by removing the connecting rod.
The two control columns connect with a shaft carrying a lever which transmits side movement to the ailerons by cables, and fore-and-aft movement by link tubes to a cross-shaft behind the pilot’s seat, from which cables run to the elevator levers. Rudder cables run direct from the outer end of the rear rudder bar to the levers on the rudder.
Making the Tiger Abroad
Norway proved to be a good customer for de Havilland products and the government-owned aircraft factory at Kjeller, near Oslo, negotiated a licence in February 1932 for production of 17 D.H.82s, for which British-built Gipsy III engines were supplied from Stag Lane. All 17 aircraft were completed by the summer of 1933 and before delivery the Norwegian Government allocated funds for the construction of a further 20 aircraft to be built as D.H.82As, to be known as Woth Majors”. The Norwegian military was a strong proponent of the de Havilland philosophy of a “one-type trainer”. In addition to a machine-gun-equipped operational trainer, the winter exercises in 1934 unveiled D.H.82 No 129 in the role of bomber with a rack of four under-fuselage bombs. In 1940, German forces took control of all Norwegian military aircraft and at least one Tiger Moth was photographed at Kjeller in full Luftwaffe colours. It is believed that some confiscated Danish Tiger Moths, along with others abandoned in France by 81 Sqn in 1940, and four from the Austrian Air Force Air Training School at Parndorf, were flown in German markings until lack of spares grounded them,
Sweden The Swedish agent for de Havilland, Aero Material, placed an order with Stag Lane for delivery of a dozen D.H.82 Tiger Moths in June 1932, to be taken on Swedish air force charge as Type Sk 11. Three additional D.H.82s ordered by the Swedish military were built under licence by Aktiebolaget Svenska Jamvagsverkstadema (ASJIA) at Linkoping and delivered in March 1935. An order for ten D.H.82As, designated Sk 11A, was placed with ASJA for delivery in the summer of 1935, followed by ten more the following year. A number of improvements were designed by ASJA to cater for operations in all seasons. Pickup points for a float chassis were included as standard, and several aircraft were operated as seaplanes.
Portugal Through the efforts of the de Havilland agent in Portugal, Carlos Bleck, the Portuguese Government purchased 23 Tiger Moths in December 1931, followed by 21 D.H.82As in 1933 and 1934. A further eight aircraft were delivered at the beginning of 1938, consigned to Oficinas Gerais de Material Aeronjutico (OGMA), the government aircraft factory at Alverca with whom de Havilland signed a licence agreement. Production at OGMA continued into the early 1940s eventually reaching a total of 91 aircraft.
Canada Following the arrival of D.H.60T Tiger Moth G-ABN1 in June 1931 it was not until August 1935 that de Havilland’s Canadian company took delivery of a second Tiger Moth from England, a fully developed D.H.82A, locally registered as CF-AVG. Officials at the company’s headquarters at Downsview were astonished to find that, like G-ABNI before it, ‘AVG had been built to European standards and a sliding canopy was soon fitted. In this configuration it was widely demonstrated and although the new aircraft met all the criteria laid down by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), there was no budget to buy a single one.
The lobbying of Ottawa and an offer to build the aircraft in Toronto resulted in the issue of specification C/11/36, and a contract for the supply of 28 Tiger Moths was signed on March 12, 1937. The order was for 27 new aircraft re-engineered locally to be known as type D.H.82A (Can) Tiger Moth. The demonstrator, CF-AVG, was included in the sale as the 28th aircraft, but was completely dismantled for use as a working pattern. The first new aircraft, RCAF 239, first flew on December 21, 1937, and was delivered to Trenton on January 18, 1938. de Havilland Aircraft of Canada prewar output included 227 D.H.82As. Having got production of the D.H.82A (Can) under way, the Downsview drawing office sought to add further refinements. A significant improvement was provided by new engine cowlings, the installation of cable-operated Bendix mainwheel brakes and a fully castoring tailwheel with a pneumatic tyre. Skis or floats could be fitted if required. A trim tab was set into the trailing edge of each elevator, capable of precision setting exercised from either cockpit. The improvements to the D.H.82A (Can) continued with the choice of the more powerful Gipsy Major 1C as standard engine and modifications to the canopy which would permit it to be jettisoned. The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan was announced on December 10, 1939, and in February 1940 de Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd received a government order to supply 404 Tiger Moths embodying all the modifications and improvements which had been authorised under specification AP/3/39. The new type designation was to be D.H.82C Tiger Moth.
DH82C
The first aircraft built to the specification, C331, was flown by Bruce Douglas on March 12, 1940, and was handed over to the RCAF on April 10. The continuing supply of engines from Stag Lane assured orders for another 428 D.H.82Cs, which were delivered progressively from April to December 1941.
Until the submarine menace in the North Atlantic was finally neutralised the Canadian company realised how dangerous their engine supply situation could become. In the USA they sought, and found, an alternative powerplant – the D-4 Pirate engine designed and built by the Menasco Manufacturing Company of Los Angeles, California, physically similar and with a performance almost identical to the Gipsy Major IC. Air and groundcrew, however, needed to be aware that the propeller rotation was in the opposite direction from the Gipsy Major. The first installation (of a C-4 model) was made for test flying by Bruce Douglas to begin on June 30, 1940. Ten aircraft with Pirate engines ordered for delivery between May and June 1941 were re-designated as D.H.82C2s by de Havilland and as ‘Wenasco Moths” by the RCAF. A second batch which entered service as wireless trainers in the first half of 1941 were designated D.H.82C4 (Menasco Moth II) and appeared ideally suited to the task on account of the engine-driven generator system. The rear cockpit was stripped and fitted with obsolescent wireless equipment. The aircraft were overloaded and underpowered, and all were replaced as soon as practicable. A Gipsy Major-powered wireless trainer designated D.H.82C3 was proposed, but never progressed beyond initial planning.
Some 200 Tiger Moths manufactured under the Mutual Aid Program on behalf of the USA and scheduled for the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) as the PT-24 were never to wear Uncle Sam’s colours. The whole consignment was donated to the Air Training Plan and carried the standard yellow-and -black trainer colours and serials of the RCAF. A further 350 D.H.82C Tiger Moths were delivered to the RCAF commencing on March 3, 1942 From April 1940 until September 1942, the factory at Downsview maintained an average output of 51 Tiger Moths per month, reaching a peak of 75 per month at the end of 1941. In total, 1,549 airframes were completed in addition to the fuselages sent to Hatfield.
Australia The first Tiger Moth received at de Havilland’s works at Mascot Aerodrome near Sydney, VH-UTD, was not registered until May 1935, sold to the Newcastle Aero Club. Alan Murray Jones, the Australian company’s Managing Director, tried to persuade the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) to standardise basic training on the versatile D.H.82A, but, against price and delivery, the Avro 643 Cadet was chosen instead However, on November 21, 1938, the Australian Air Board placed an order for 20 Tiger Moths, all to be constructed at Mascot at a total cost of £33,660. The contract allowed fuselages to be imported from England and these were despatched from Hatfield between January and March 1939. Wings and empennage were built at Mascot, where Stag Lane-built engines were installed. Murray Jones made the first test flight of A17-1 from Mascot on May 8, 1939, and the aircraft was delivered into RAAF charge at Richmond eight days later.
An order for a further 350 Tiger Moths was placed on October 10, 1939. All were to be built locally using Gipsy Major engines manufactured in Australia under the terms of a licence held by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) and, in January 1940, an order for 500 engines was placed with General Motors (Holden’s) Ltd, a major shareholder in CAC. The first of 1,300 Holden’s-built engines were installed in RAAF Tiger Moths at Mascot in December 1940. Delivery of the first Tiger Moth airframe to be wholly constructed in Australia was made on June 21, 1940, when A17-25 was taken on charge at No 2 Air Depot at Richmond. That same month de Havilland was authorised to order raw materials for a further 300 airframes. By December 31, 1940, Mascot had delivered 208 aircraft and production had reached ten Tiger Moths per week. Holden’s was manufacturing engines at the rate of 40 per month. Tiger Moth production at Mascot was continuous from June 1940, reaching a peak of two aircraft per day by March 1941, until August 1942 when the line was halted. Eighteen aircraft originally scheduled for southern Africa were released from May 1942 for use by the USAAF in Australia pending delivery of their own communications types. In September 1944 the Mascot line was re-opened to provide a further 60 Tiger Moths at a cost of about £1,200 each. The new production was authorised in spite of an offer to supply Tiger Moths from the UK, where for some months already, Morris Motors had been delivering aircraft directly into store. By February 1945, 35 of the new Australian aircraft had been delivered, but the remainder of the order was cancelled on the grounds that the aircraft were simply not required.
New Zealand The Tiger Moth soon proved itself ideally suited to New Zealand’s training requirements, and with an established base at Hobsonville offering service and support, the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) decided it would standardise all its primary training needs on the type. Alan Butler, chairman of the company, announced on February 7, 1939, that a de Havilland Associated Company was to be established in Wellington and on May 24 construction of a new workshop was commenced at Rongotai aerodrome. At the beginning of August the New Zealand Government ordered 100 Tiger Moths at a total cost of £155,000, the last aircraft to be delivered by February 1941. To initiate the contract it was intended to import batches of partially assembled kits from Hatfield. The first aircraft recognised as having a significant local content, Stage A in a pre-planned six-part programme, was NZ762, taken on charge on July 18, 1940. By the implementation of Stage F, it was intended for the whole aircraft to be a product of the Wellington factory. This happy state was met by NZ811 which was subject to a 30min test flight by Hugh Buckingham on April 19, 1941.
The provisioning programme began to run seriously behind schedule and in an effort to alleviate some of the shortfall, Australia agreed to supply component parts which were integrated into New Zealand production from March 1941, followed by the provision of 20 complete aircraft.
The first RNZAF aircraft consisted of twenty one impressed from eleven aero clubs, and three new aircraft about to be delivered to those civilian organisations. More British built machines were received before the de Havilland factory at Rongotai began production.
A further 36 Tiger Moths were ordered early in 1942 and had been delivered by November. In July 1943 another 36 were ordered but only 27 were delivered. A new contract was drawn up in February 1944 requiring 45 Tiger Moths to be delivered by December 3 of that year but only 18 were supplied. With a run-down in the training programme and a low attrition rate, the final 27 aircraft were cancelled.
This factory produced 345 Tiger Moths for the RNZAF until production ceased in the mid 1940s. In New Zealand 110 were assembled from UK produced parts, 181 were built entirely. A number of modifications, mostly British in origin, were made to the NZ built Tigers. One was an enclosed canopy which appeared in two versions, a sliding model in 1943 for the Air Training Corps and a sideways hinged model in 1944. A fitting for the attachment of a Mk. 1 bomb carrier was made in January 1942, a standard RAF camouflage added in April 1942 and a ten gallon auxiliary fuel system introduced in September 1942 giving a four hour endurance. The “Tiger Bomber” was flown with the pilot in the front cockpit to keep the centre of gravity within limits when the eight 20 or 251b bombs were in position. A drastic nose down pitch followed bomb release. Four Light Bomber squadrons (Nos 41, 42, 43, 44) were formed and one Fighter Bomber squadron (No. 51).
Post World War 2 disposals –
Southern Rhodesia
Canadian-built Fairchild Cornells were supplied to the Rhodesian Air Training Group (RATG) as Tiger Moth replacements from late 1943, and all Tigers with more than 2,000 airframe hours were scrapped; others were taken from open storage and ferried to South Africa.
When news spread that Tiger Moths had been declared surplus in Southern Rhodesia, enquiries began to flow through to the RATG, which on the advice of the Ministry of Aircraft Production in London suggested a minimum price of £500 each, as standing. Sealed offers for the first batch were opened on October 4, 1945, and resulted in 76 firm bids for 45 aircraft from 20 prospective clients, A similar exercise with a second batch of 37 aircraft resulted in 27 contracts. The 100 hand-picked Tiger Moths which arrived back in Rhodesia from South Africa at the end of 1946 were allocated to No 4 FTS at Heany and No 5 FTS at Thornhill. The second batch of 100 Tiger Moths was shipped from Cape Town into the care of the Hindustan Aircraft Company at Bangalore in India on behalf of the Indian Government.
De Havilland manufactured 8,811 DH 82 Tiger Moths between 1931 and 1945. Between 1939 and 1945, de Havilland built 4,005 Tiger Moths in the United Kingdom and 1,747 in Canada.
Disposals in Great Britain In early 1943, Commander Harold Perrin, Secretary of the Royal Aero Club, was advised that no Tiger Moths would be released in quantity until a new RAF trainer was available “In a year or so”. There was even a hint that training aircraft might be imported from the USA. Stocks of Tiger Moths in use or in store, it was admitted, as of March 1, 1945, amounted to 2,273.
In January 1946 the Air Ministry advised that 100 RAF Tiger Moths in store, all lightly damaged, were now available for disposal due to the contraction of repair facilities, The Royal Aero Club purchased all 100 aircraft for £5,000 and handled resale to member organisations.
The entry of de Havilland Canada’s DHC-1 Chipmunk into service released more than 80 Tiger Moths onto the British register in 1951, but there were teething troubles with the new type. Based at Barton, No 2 Reserve Flying School re-equipped with Chipmunks in January 1951 but had converted back to Tiger Moths by the following December, maintaining the type until disbandment in February 1953.
In 1953 RAF storage units were permitted to turn out their residual holdings of Tiger Moths and 380 aircraft were categorised as “Non-Effective Stock”. The majority were offered for sale, and the public was invited to visit Cosford, Hullavington and Lyneham on August 18, 1953, to deposit bids on 222 aircraft.
Australia
The Australian solution to its surplus aircraft situation was quite straightforward: if the aircraft was likely to qualify for a certificate of airworthiness it could be sold but if not, it was scrapped. The first 100 aircraft were offered for sale by public tender by the Commonwealth Disposals Commission in February 1945, and included a variety of types from Tiger Moths to flying boats. They decided that the maximum price for a Tiger should be £500, but administ and structure of the pricing policy was to be generous and flexible.
The last ten RAAF Tiger Moths were not disposed of until January 9, 1957. Each civilian purchaser had to acknowledge that sale of the aircraft was conditional on their immediate availability for military requisition in times of national emergency.
New Zealand
At the time of the Japanese surrender, the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) had 232 Tiger Moths on strength. Peacetime RNZAF requirements indicated that about 180 could be declared surplus, and an initial list of 114 aircraft was provided for the War Assets Realisation Board. An additional 15 Tiger Moths were set aside for presentation to flying clubs as compensation for aircraft requisitioned at the beginning of the Second World War.
Surplus stock was offered for tender, with fixed reserve prices ranging from £30 to £330, but when the list closed on December 9, 1946, only 20 aircraft had been sold.
In October 1947 the Minister of Defence was prevailed upon to donate 42 Tiger Moths to the Royal New Zealand Aero Club. Although there was no purchase cost, £20 per aeroplane was charged for assembly and rigging ex-storage, plus 6d per mile air delivery by air force pilots.
The RNZAF was the last of the Commonwealth air forces to operate Tiger Moths in the primary training role. Nine aircraft were sold by tender in 1955 and the final 11 by August 1956.
South Africa
Eight Air Depots (ADs) had been established in South Africa by August 1941, of which No 4 AD at Lyttelton was assigned the reception of Tiger Moths and Miles Masters. Between January and October 1941, 250 new aircraft were imported through Cape Town and a further 120 were imported from Australia.
As a result of the wear of engine parts owing to hot, dry and dusty aerodrome surfaces, aircraft were fitted with air intake filters attached externally to the starboard side cowling. Also, a small wheel was fitted in place of the tailskid.
From February 1946, 100 aircraft were selected by the SAAF for postwar service with the Central Flying School (CIFS) at Dunnottar, from where several were sold in August 1948 at £4 10s each. Some disposed of as scrap later appeared on the civil register. The CFS sold its last aircraft to the SAAF Aero Club in June 1956.
Canada
From 1940 D.H.82C Tiger Moths were operational at 23 Canadian based Elementary Schools in addition to four Wireless Schools. Having taken delivery of 1,520 C models between April 1940 and September 1942, they were mostly replaced by June 1944 by Canadian-built Fairchild PT-26 Cornells.
In 1945 Canada’s War Assets Corporation took administrative charge of each aircraft: all Menasco engined Tiger Moths were scrapped except for a handful, as were others with high hours. The rest were sold off to aero clubs and often to new owners merely for the wheels and tyres and petrol in the tanks.
India
Several of the 208 new production Tiger Moths sent from Great Britain in RAF markings to India during 1943 and 1944 adopted civil registrations on arrival and were operated by flying clubs on behalf of the Government of India. Although some Tiger Moth spares were manufactured in India, plans for production of 239 new Tiger Moths in Bombay were not proceeded with.
Far from being a disposal centre, India became a net importer of Tiger Moths after the war, and there was much administrative tidying to arrange following Independence and Partition on August 15, 1947. Twenty civil aircraft which had been impressed and 41 ex-RAF aircraft were transferred to the Indian Air Force at the end of October.
Seven ex-RAF aircraft were transferred to the Pakistan Air Force in September 1947, and a year later six more were added, all second hand civil aircraft sourced in Great Britain by dealers W. S. Shackleton, an appropriate manner in which to comply with some diplomatic nicety.
DH 82 Engine: 1 x de Havilland Gipsy III, 120 hp Wingspan: 29 ft 4 in / 8.94 m Length: 23 ft 11 in / 7.29 m Height: 8 ft 9.5 in / 2.68 m Wing area: 239 sq.ft Empty weight: 10755 lb MAUW: 1825 lb Max speed: 109 mph / 175 kph Cruise speed: 85 mph Initial climb: 700 fpm Ceiling: 17.000 ft Range: 300 miles
DH82A Engine: Gipsy Major I, 130hp / 97 kW Fuel: Aviation Gasoline 87 Octane Prop: Fixed Pitch 6 ft (1.8 m) diameter Two blades made of laminated timber Wing span: 29 ft 8 in. / 8.94 m Length: 23ft 11in / 7.3m Height: 8 ft 9.5 in / 2.68 m Wing area: 239 sq.ft. / 22.2 sq. m Empty weight: 1,115 lb / 506 kg Maximum Takeoff weight: 1,770 lb / 803 kg Main Fuel Tank Capacity: 19 Imp Gal / 86 Lt / 23 USG Auxiliary Fuel Tank Capacity: 9 Imp Gal / 41 Lt / 11 USGal Maximum Speed: 95 kts / 109 mph / 176 km/h Cruise Speed: 80 kt / 92 mph / 148 km/h Max range: 240 nm. Service ceiling: 14,000 ft. Initial climb: 635 fpm Seats: 2
DH 82C Engine: 1 x de Havilland Gipsy Major IC, 108kW / 145 hp Wingspan: 8.94 m / 29 ft 4 in Length: 7.29 m / 23 ft 11 in Height: 2.69 m / 8 ft 10 in Wing area: 22.2 sq.m / 239 sq.ft Empty weight: 1200 lb MAUW: 1825 lb Max speed: 172 km/h / 107 mph Cruise speed: 145 km/h / 90 mph Initial climb: 750 fpm Ceiling: 4450 m / 14,600 ft Range: 443 km / 275 miles
On 10 July 1969 a project called Alpha Jet was started by the governments of Germany and France to cooperatively create a light aircraft for advanced jet training and for the tactical support role. The contenders were the following: Dassault-Brequet joined up with Dornier with the TA-501, Aérospatiale with MBB with the E-650 Eurotrainer and VFW with their own T-291 project. On 23 July 1970, the TA-501 project from Dassault-Dornier was selected, a tandem seat twin-engined jet trainer and light attack aircraft.
Dassault-Brequet was responsible for building the front fuselage and assembly of the trainer variant as well as the export orders. Dornier in Germany produced the rear fuselage, the tail, wings and assembled the attack variants. The Alpha Jet is power by two Larzac jet engines, which were designed by Turbomecca, SNECMA, MTU and KHD. On 30 November 1972 the first mock up was accepted by both governments and a contract for the production of four prototypes. On 26 October 1973 prototype 01 made the first flight, sixth months ahead of the contract scheduled date. The official presentation flight was flown on 23 November in 1973 at Isres, France. On 9 January 1974, the second prototype made its maiden flight, followed by prototype 03 on 4 May and prototype 04 on October 11th. Alpha Jet E entered production in 1977. The first production Alpha Jet E 1 was flown at Istres, France, on 4 November 1977. The aircraft features a DEFA 30mm cannon.
The German Alpha Jet A entered production a year later. Production aircraft were delivered starting in 1978, with French aircraft operating as pure trainer aircraft, while German aircraft were employed as light attack aircraft. The two types can be distinguished visually by the rounded nose of the French aircraft compared with the pointed nose of German aircraft. The aircraft feature a simple but sophisticated design, utilizing fixed leading edges and air intakes, and an area ruled fuselage to minimize transonic drag. The Alpha Jet was also designed to be turned between sorties quickly, and features single-point refueling, and no required ground-support equipment. Alpha Jet A was the light attack variant for the Luftwaffe designed to replace the Fiat G.91R/3s in the light attack and close air support role. The A is therefor equipped with a more advanced nav/attack system including HUD, Doppler navigation radar and twin-gyro INS. The German versions were equipped with a 27mm Mauser cannon, replacing the French DEFA. Alternatively a Super Cyclone recce pod could be carried on the centeline station.
Principal customers were the air arms of the partner countries, the French Air Force taking 176 between 1978 and 1985, and the Luftwaffe 175 between 1979 and 1983.
The Alpha Jet E was produced for the French Air Force and several export customers, including Egypt, where it is known as the MS1.
Alpha Jet E
The Arab Organisation for Industrialisation’s Helwan factory assembled 37 Alpha Jets from CKD kits between 1982 and 1985, and also produced some components under licence. The Egyptian Air Force also received eight aircraft assembled in France. The close-support version (Alpha Jet A) was built for the West German Air Force; while the alternative close support version, with a new navigation/attack system, was sold to the Cameroon and Egypt as the M52. The Alpha Jet Nouvelle Generation pur l’Ecole et l’Appui (NGEA), now known as the Alpha Jet 2, incorporates the navigation/attack system of the M52 together with uprated Larzac 04-C20 engines and Magic 2 AAMs. No NGEA sales have been achieved, but Egyptian M52s are to be upgraded to NGEA standard. The fifth version, announced in 1985, is the Alpha Jet Lancier. Derived from the NGEA, the Lancier is intended for day/night ground attack, anti-shipping strikes, and anti-helicopter duties. In addition to the NGEA systems it has a Flir, Thomson-CSF Agave multimode radar, active and passive ECM, anti-shipping missiles, and laser guided bombs. No orders for the Lancier have been achieved to date. The Alpha Jet 3 is an advanced training version for use with FLIR, laser and ECM systems.
Alpha Jet AT-29, June 1987
Under an independent programme, the Luftwaffe is retrofitting more powerful Larzac 04-C20 engines to boost performance. A limited armament and avionics upgrade had been approved for the Luftwaffe’s Alpha jet fleet for service from 1992. By early 1986 more than 480 Alpha Jets had been delivered, against orders for 501 for ten customers. The German Luftwaffe was the sole operator of the Alpha Jet A light attack version until the 1990s. The first production aircraft flew in 1979 and three years later Dornier closed the production line. The 175 Luftwaffe Alpha Jets replaced the Fiat/Aeritalia G.91R, of which 300 were operated in the tactical support and light attack role. In the 1990s the Alpha Jet was slowly withdrawn from service, the last example being officially retired on 31 December 1998. A large number of aircraft was sold to other nations and about 40 aircraft were put into storage at Fürstenfeldbruck. Two examples have been bought and restored for flying with the Flying Bulls, a display team sponsored by Red Bull.
The Alpha Jet E trainer version for France entered service with the Armée de l’Air replacing the Fouga Magister, Lockheed T-33 and the Dassault Mystère IVA.
The Belgian Air Force needed an advanced trainer and was interested in the development of the Alpha Jet since the start of the project. Belgium operated 28 aircraft, which have been upgraded prolonging their service life until at least 2015. The upgrade was carrier out by SABCA (Société Anonyme Belge de Constructions Aéronautiques), the first upgraded example being delivered back to the air force on 21 April in 2000. The upgrade features a new flightstick, advanced HUD, GPS, ILS and a multi function display in the rear cockpit. In 1994 50 ex-Luftwaffe Alpha Jets were sold to the Portuguese Air Force. In service with Squadrons 103 Caracóis (Snails) for complementary flying training and operational conversion training and with Squadron 301 Jaguares (Jaguars) on the offensive air support role, both squadrons operated from Beja airbase.
In 2017 Alpha Jets were still in service with the militaries of France, Belgium, Egypt, Portugal, Thailand, and are operated by EPNER and Empire Test Pilot School.
Breguet Alpha Jet Engines: 2 x SNECMA / Turboméca Larzac 04-C5, 13244 N Length: 40.322 ft / 12.29 m Height: 13.747 ft / 4.19 m Wingspan: 29.888 ft / 9.11 m Wing area: 188.37 sqft / 17.5 sqm Max take off weight: 13230.0 lb / 6000.0 kg Weight empty: 6945.8 lb/ 3150.0 kg Max. speed: 535 kts / 991 km/h Initial climb rate: 11614.17 ft/min / 59.00 m/s Service ceiling: 44948 ft / 13700 m Wing load: 70.32 lb/sq.ft / 343.00 kg/sq.m Range: 680 nm / 1260 km Range (max. weight): 432 nm / 800 km Crew: 2 Armament: 1x MK 30mm, 2500kg ext.
Alpha Jet Engine: 2 x Snecma/Turbomeca Larzac 04-C6. Installed thrust: 26.5 kN. Span: 9.1 m. Length: 12.3 m. Wing area: 17.5 sq.m. Empty wt: 3855 kg. MTOW: 7940 kg. Warload: 2720 kg. Max speed: 1000 kph. Initial ROC: 3420 m / min. Ceiling: 14,600+ m. T/O run: 410 m. Ldg run: 610 m. Fuel internal: 1900 lt. Range/Endurance: 1230 km / 3.5 hr. Combat radius: 350-1075 km. Armament: 1 x 27/30 mm, 2 x AAM. Hardpoints: 4/5.
Alpha Jet Max Speed: 550 KIAS / .95 M Ceiling: 47,000 ft G-Limits: +8 / -5 Payload: 1,360 lb on each inner pylon, 635 lb on each outer pylon EW: Wired for ALQ-167 and ALQ-188 Endurance: 2.5+ hr with 2 drop tanks Empty Weight: 7,850 lb Useful load: 8,600 lb
Alpha Jet E Engines: two 13.24 kN (2,976 lb st) SNECMA/Turbomecca Larzac 04-C6 non-afterburning turbofan Wing span 9.11 m (29 ft 10¼ in) Wing area: 188,4 sq,ft / 17,50 sq m Length 11.75m (38 ft 6½ in) Height 4.19m (13 ft 9 in) Empty weight 3345 kg (7,374 lb) Max Take-Off Weight 8.000 kg (17,637 lb) Max level speed at sea level 1000 km/h (621 mph) Service ceiling 14,630m (48,000 ft) Climb to 30,000ft/9145m: 7 min 0 sec Radius: 764 mi / 1230 km Armament: one Mauser 27mm or DEFA 30mm ventral cannon pod with 125 rpg Ordnance: 2500 kg (5,511 lb) Hardpoints: 4
France originally was part of the EFA (European Fighter Aircraft) project, which would result in the Eurofighter. In 1985 France left the project and started its own development of a fighter, which led to the ACX or Rafale A.
The Rafale (‘Squall’) was originally conceived to demonstrate technologies applicable to a French air force Jaguar replacement (ACT= Avions Combat Tactique) and a French navy Crusader and Super Etendard replacement (ACM= Avion de Combat Marine). It is a single-seat aircraft with a compound-sweep delta wing, an all-moving canard, a single fin, and semi-vented intakes. It incorporates digital fly-by-wire, relaxed stability, a reclined pilot’s seat, a wide-angle headup display, and composite components are used extensively in the airframe. Provision has been made for the introduction of fibre-optics, voice command, and voice warning systems. Equipped with the multi-mode RBE2 radar which has full air-to-air and air-to-ground capability, it can carry a wide range of weapons, including the APACHE stand-off munitions dispenser and the ASMP nuclear missile. The Rafale A technology demonstrator, A 01, powered by two General Electric F404 turbofans, was rolled out of the Saint-Cloud factory on 14 December 1985, First flying on 4 July 1986, Mach 1.3 was exceeded during the flight. In May 1987 the Rafale A prototype successfully completed a series of approaches to the carrier Clemenceau to establish the feasibility of carrier operations. In April 1989 the aircraft was laid-up for the substitution of a SNECMA M88-2 augmented turbofan in the port engine bay and flew in this configuration on 27 February 1990. The M88 is the selected engine for production versions of the Rafale. Developed from the Rafale A was the single seat Rafale C that first flew on 19 May 1991.
The two-seat Rafale B was designed as a dual control conversion trainer for the single seat Rafale C. But the Rafale B has developed as a fully operational variant with full combat capability. Either an instructor, a second pilot or a WSO can assist the pilot from the rear seat. The Rafale B and C aircraft were planned to enter Armée de l’Air (French Air Force) service from 2002 onwards to replace its older Mirage variants and Jaguars. The first production aircraft Rafale B1 flew for the first time on 4 December 1998 and was delivered to the French Air Force. On April 20, 2001, a Rafale B fitted with conformal fuel tanks made its first flight.
Designed especially for the Aeronavale (French Navy Air Arm) is the carrier capable Rafale M. A fully navilised version first flying on 12 December 1991. The Rafale M has for 80% the same structural design and for 95% the same systems as the Rafale C. It has strengthened main undercarriage, extended nosewheel suitable for catapult launch, hydraulically operated arrester hook, but has no folding wings. The centreline pylon has to be removed because of the longer nosewheel undercarriage. The first production Rafale M aircraft replaced the remaining F-8E(FN) Crusaders in the fighter role. Subsequent deliveries were to replace the Super Etendard and Etendard IVP in the attack and recconnaissance roles.
Dassault Rafale-M
A fourth variant developed for the French Navy, is the two-seat Rafale N to enter service in 2008. The Rafale will become the only combat aircraft in the French Navy when all aircraft are delivered. The original plan was to order a total of 94 Cs, 78 Ms and 140 Bs. On December 1, 2001, the French carrier Charles de Gaulle departed to support the war on terrorism with on board seven Rafale M fighters. Although the aircraft did not take part in the large-scale air combat operation over Afghanistan, they flew combat air patrols and were able to practise and test out new tactics.
Rafale A Engine: 2 x General Electric GE F404-GE-100, 69847 N Length : 51.837 ft / 15.8 m Height: 17.06 ft / 5.2 m Wingspan: 36.745 ft / 11.2 m Wing area: 505.908 sq.ft. / 47.0 sq.m Max take off weight: 44100.0 lb / 20000.0 kg Weight empty: 20947.5 lb / 9500.0 kg Max. weight carried: 23152.5 lb / 10500.0 kg Max. speed: 1147 kt / 2124 km/h Landing speed: 120 kt / 223 km/h Wing load: 87.33 lb/sq.ft / 426.0 kg/sq.m Fuel capacity: 1123 gal / 4250 lt Crew: 1 Armament: 1x MK 30mm DEFA 554, max 12x AIM.
Rafale C Engines: 2 x SNECMA M88-2 turbofans, 7500kg, 16,500 lb Max take-off weight: 19500 kg / 42990 lb Empty weight: 9060 kg / 19974 lb Wingspan: 10.9 m / 35 ft 9 in Length: 15.3 m / 50 ft 2 in Height: 5.34 m / 17 ft 6 in Max. speed: 2070 km/h / 1286 mph Armament: 1 x 30mm cannon Hardpoints: 14
Rafale M Engines: 2 x SNECMA M88-3 afterburning turbofans, 86.98 kN (19,555 lb st) Length 15.30m (50 ft 2½ in) Height 5.34m (17 ft 6¼ in) Wing span (over AAMs) 10.90m (35 ft 9¼ in) Empty weight equipped 9670 kg (21,319 lb) Max Take-Off Weight 21.500 kg (47,399 lb) Max level speed at 11.000m (36,069 ft) Mach 2.0 or 2125 km/h (1,321 mph) Service ceiling 16,460m (54,000 ft) Armament: one DEFA 791 B 30mm cannon; up to 6000 kg (13,228 lb) ordnance Hardpoints: 13
In the 1960s Dassault designed the Mirage F1 as a successor for the Mirage III family. Loss of energy in low-level manoeuvring flight of the delta-winged Mirage III led to development of a traditional layout for the wing. Evolved in parallel with the Mirage F2 as a scale-down, multi-role single-seat fighter employing a SNECMA Atar turbojet, the Mirage F1 was the subject of a government contract awarded in 1964. Possessing a conventional sweptback wing equipped with high-lift devices, and conventional swept tail surfaces, the private venture prototype F1 flew on 23 December 1966.
On 23 December 1966 the first prototype made its maiden flight. Three pre-series aircraft were ordered in September 1967, the first of these flying on 20 March 1969.
The initial production model for France’s Armee de l’Air was designated F1C, placed emphasis on the intercept mission, was powered by an Atar 9K-50 turbojet affording 7200kg with afterburning, and had an armament of two 30mm cannon, two Matra 550 Magic and two Matra R 530 or Super 530 AAMs. An initial order for the F1C for the Armee de l’Air was placed in 1969, 162 being procured by that service (plus 64 recce F1CRs and 20 two-seat F1B trainers), initial operational capability being achieved in 1974. Many of the Armee de l’Air aircraft were delivered in, or retroactively modified to, F1C-200 standard with an 8cm fuselage plug to accommodate a removable flight refuelling probe.
The Mirage F.1C entered service with France’s air defence command (CAF-DA) in 1973, equipped with Thomson-CSF Cyrano IV all-sector fire-control radar. This type has also met with considerable success on the export market, customers including Ecuador, Greece, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Morocco. South Africa and Spain. Production of 81 of this variant was followed by 89 Mirage F.1C-200 fighters fitted with a fixed inflight-refuelling probe at the base of the windscreen. The F.1-CR-200 became operational in July 1983, and carries cameras and infrared sensors internally with additional sensors in an under-fuselage pod. Improved navigation systems, radar, and a flight refuelling probe fitted as standard.
The Armée de l’Air (French Air Force) operated the F1C as its main interceptor fighter until the service entree of the Mirage 2000 in 1984.
The first flight was made by the Dassault Mirage F.1B two seat dual role trainer/tactical aircraft on 26 May 1976. Twenty Mirage F.1B conversion trainers (based on the Mirage F.1C but lacking its internal cannon) have also been received. It proved attractive to overseas customers, initial orders being received from Ecuador, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Morocco and Spain.
F.1B
Single-seat aircraft, including the F.1A with its slightly increased fuel tankage, have a notional maximum weapon-carrying capacity of 13,889 lb (6 300 kg), excluding the fitted cannon. This total is made up of 4,630 lb (2 100 kg) on the centreline; 220 lb (100 kg) of chaff/flare dispensers on the fuselage shoulder; 2,866 lb (1 300 kg) at the inner wing; 1,213 lb (550 kg) on the outer wing pylons, and 331 lb (150kg) on the wing-tip AAM positions. Maximum FIC/E internal fuel capacity is 946 Imp gal (4 300 1) or 7,568 lb (3 433 kg) of Jet A-1 /Avtur whilst three external tanks can hold a further 1,012 Imp gal (4 600 1) or 8,096 lb (3 672 kg). Fuel and weaponry must be traded-off between the confines of a 16,314 lb (7 400 kg) empty weight and 35,715 lb (16 200 kg) max take¬off weight.
French Air Force F.1-Cs were delivered as or converted to F.1-C-200s by the installation of detachable flight refuelling probe.
The Mirage F1E was a dedicated strike and attack aircraft which incorperated upgraded systems, including radar. Dassault also designed a two-seat version of the F1E for training, designated F1D.
A simplified version, lacking certain avionics such as the Cyrano radar, was produced for South Africa (F1AZ and F1CZ for the interceptor variant) and Libya for the clear-weather attack role with ranging radar as the Mirage F.1A, with Aida radar in a slimmer nose filled with much of the electronics previously located behind the cockpit, where more fuel could now be stored. Other additions were Doppler navigation, an inertial platform. and a laser rangefinder. Libya, together with Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Qatar and Spain, also bought the multi-role Mirage F.1E. An export model, the Mirage F.1E, is based on the F.lC with upgraded Cyrano IVM radar offering terrain-avoidance, air-to-surface ranging, and look-down capability. The model also has an inertial platform, digital computer, and improved head-up display. The Mirage F.1E entered service in 1976, and offered multi-role capability, including anti¬ship attack with the AM.39 Exocet missile.
According to Dassault data the Mirage F1E’s LO-LO combat radius with one centreline Exocet, two Magics, two ECM pods and two 264 Imp gal (1 200 1) external tanks is 435 mls (700 km), including the missile’s range of 37-43 mls (60-70 km). This is achieved at a cruising speed of 400 kts (742 km/h), apart from the first 59 mls (95 km) of the homeward flight, which are flown at 550 kts (1 019 km/h). Radius can be increased to 559 mls (900 km) with one “buddy” refuelling. A larger, 484 Imp gal (2 200 lt), tank is also available, but can be fitted only singly on the centreline pylon and has hitherto been employed mainly for ferrying. With one large and two small tanks and a H1-LO-HI mission profile, the Mirage F.IE’s radius may be increased to 870 mls (1 400 km), but only if the Magics and ECM pods are left at home and the weapon load reduced to just two 250-kg (55l-lb) bombs. Production of the AM.39 Exocet armed Mirage F.1-EQ6 for the Iraqi Air FoU continued until late 1988. The French Air Force has received the last of its Mirage F.1-CR-200 reconnaissance fighters. The specialized reconnaissance model is the Mirage F.1CR (based on the Mirage F.1C-200 and with a secondary attack capability) and this replaced the 50 or so Mirage IIIR/RD aircraft which equiped the 33e Escadre at Strasbourg, the French air force’s sole tactical reconnaissance unit. Selected in February 1979, two Mirage F.ICR prototypes were produced for test duties, the first making its maiden flight on 20 November 1981. These two machines being followed by 62 production examples. Mission-related equipment includes OMERA cameras carried internally together with an infra-red sensor, while additional electromagnetic or optical sensors can be housed in an external pod fitted beneath the aircraft’s belly. Air-to-air missiles can also be carried for defensive purposes, while inflight-refuelling gear is also fitted as standard.
First flown on 22 December 1974, and built as an engine test bed under official contract, the Mirage F1.M53 was also envisaged as the basis for a contender in the contest to find a successor for the Lockheed F-104G in service with Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway. Evolved from the basic Atar 9K-50 turbojet-powered Mirage F1C, the Mirage F1.M53 – referred to for a brief period as the “F1E”, the suffix letter signifying Exportation and the designation subsequently being reassigned – was powered by the SNECMA M53 turbofan rated at 5550kg dry and 8500kg with maximum afterburning. M53 installation involved significant fuselage structural redesign, and to provide suitability for ground attack and long-range interdiction tasks in addition to that of interception, provision was made for multi-role avionics. By comparison with the F1C, the F1.M53 had increased fuel capacity, enlarged engine air intakes and strengthened undercarriage. The nose profile was revised to provide for the introduction of a retractable flight refuelling probe. The installed armament remained two 30mm cannon and it was proposed to distribute up to 4000kg of ordnance between seven external stations. The other contenders for the multi-national fighter contract were the Saab 37 Viggen and the General Dynamics F-16. With choice of the F-16 as winner of the competition, plans to produce a second prototype F1.M53 for testing and integration of systems were discarded.
Variants of the basic aircraft offered for export, in addition to the F1C, were the F1A with simplified avionics for operation under VFR conditions and the F1E multi-role air superiority/ground attack/reconnaissance version. Export customers were Ecuador (16 F1AJs), Greece (40 F1CGs), Iraq (113 F1EQs), Jordan (17 F1CJs and 17 F1EJs), Kuwait (27 F1CKS), Libya (16 F1ADs and 16 F1EDs), Morocco (30 F1CHs and 20 F1EHs), Qatar (12 F1EDAs), South Africa (32 F1AZs and 16 F1CZs) and Spain (45 F1CEs and 22 F1EEs). Production of the Mirage F1 was completed in 1990 with 731 built (including F1B and F1D two-seat trainers and F1CR reconnaissance aircraft). In 1991, work began on the adaptation of 30 F1C-200S as F1CT ground attack fighters.
In the 1991 Gulf War, the Mirage F1 was operated on both sides. In the 1980s Dassault sold a large number of Mirage F1E and some F1B aircraft to Iraq (designated F1EQ and F1BQ respectively). When coalition forces struck numerous hardened aircraft shelters to neutralize the Iraqi Air Force in support of operation Desert Storm, many of these aircraft were destroyed. Taking part in the coalition was France, supporting air operations with F1CR and F1CT aircraft.
The last French F1 Mirage was retired from active service in June 2014, and stored at Châteaudun air base, near Paris, while waiting for a buyer. Replaced in the French Armée de l’air by the Dassault Mirage 2000 and Dassault Rafale, it was still in use in five air forces around the world. Draken International was after the retired French planes. Instead, in December 2017, it acquired 22 Mirage F1 fighter jets from the Spanish Air Force.
Mirage F1C Powerplant: one 70.21 kN (15,873 lb st) SNECMA Atar 9K-50 turbojet Length 15.23m (49 ft 11½ in) Height 4.50m (14 ft 9 in) Wing span (over tip missiles) 9.32m (30 ft 10 in) Wing area: 25 sq.m / 269.10 sq ft Empty weight: 7400 kg / 16314 lb Max Take-Off Weight 16.200 kg (35,714 lb) Max level speed at 12,000m (39,370 ft) Mach 2.2 or 2350 km/h (1,460 mph) Landing speed: 124 kts / 230 km/h Cruising speed: 478 kts / 885 km/h Initial climb rate: 41338.58 ft/min / 210.0 m/s Service ceiling 20,000m (65,615 ft) Range w/max.payload: 900 km / 559 miles Armament: two DEFA 553 30mm cannons (135 rounds/gun), up to 4000 kg (8,818 lb) ordnance Hardpoints: 7 T/O run: 670 m. Ldg run: 610 m. Combat radius lo-lo-lo: 740 km. Fuel internal: 4300 lt. Air refuel: Yes. Crew: 1
Mirage F.1CR Powerplant: one SNECMA Atar 9K-50 turbojet rated at 7200-kg (15,873-lb) afterburning thrust. Maximum speed at sea level 1475 km/h (917 mph) or Mach 1.2 Maximum. speed at altitude 2335 km/h (1450 mph) or Mach 2.2 Ferry range 300 km (2,050 miles) Empty weight 7400 kg (16,314 lb) Maximurn take-off 16200 kg (35,715 lb) Wingspan 8.40 m (27 ft 6¾ in) Length 15.00 m (49 ft 2½ in) Height 4.50 m (14 ft 9 in) Wing area 25.00 sq.m (269.1 sq.ft)
Mirage F.1E Engine: one 15,873-lb (7,200-kg) reheated thrust SNECMA Atar 9K-50 turbojet. mximum speed, clean Mach 2.2 speed (1,321 mph / 2,125 km/h) at 36,090 ft (11,000 m) Initial climb rate 39,370 ft (12,000 m) per minute Service ceiling 20000 m (65,615 ft) Endurance 3 hours 45 minutes Radius 265 miles (425 km) on a hi-lo-hi mission with a 7.716-lb (3,500-kg) warload. Empty weight 7400 kg (16,314 lb) Maximum take-off 16200 kg (35,714 lb) Wingspan 8.40 m (27 ft 6 ¾ in) Length 15.00 m (49 ft 2 ½ in) Height 4,50 m (14 ft 9 in) Wing area 25.00sq.m (269.1 sq ft). Armament: two 30-min DEFA 553 cannon (125 rpg) up to 4000 kg (8,818 lb) ordnance
F1.M53 Max take-off weight: 15200 kg / 33510 lb Empty weight: 8024 kg / 17690 lb Wingspan: 8.45 m / 27 ft 9 in Length: 15.53 m / 50 ft 11 in Height: 4.56 m / 14 ft 12 in Wing area: 25.00 sq.m / 269.10 sq ft Max. speed: 2335 km/h / 1451 mph Range: 1200 km / 746 miles
The Mirage 2000 high-performance fighter delta wing used a design with relaxed stability, a variable-camber (produced by two-section leading-edge slats and trailing-edge elevons) and a “fly-by-wire” computerized control system in an airframe that makes extensive use of composite materials. Developed initially as a single-seat interceptor and air superiority aircraft designated 2000C, the first of four prototypes was flown on 10 March 1978. A company-funded fifth prototype, in tandem two-seat trainer 2000B form, flew on 11 October 1980. The Mirage 2000 was chosen on 18 December 1975 to become the next primary combat aircraft of the Armee de l’Air, to replace the Mirage III is the interceptor role.
The first production Mirage 2000C flew on 20 November 1982 with a SNECMA M53-5 rated at 5547kg dry and 8790kg with afterburning, this being replaced from the 38th Armee de l’Air Mirage 2000C by the M53-P2 turbofan producing 6557kg dry and 9687kg with afterburning. Armament consisted of two 30mm cannon with a typical intercept weapons mix comprising two Matra 530D or 530F AAMs inboard and two Matra 550 Magic missiles outboard under the wings. For an attack mission, up to 6300kg of ordnance could be distributed between nine external stations. Deliveries of the initial 37 Mirage 2000C to the first of four Escadres de Chasse began in the summer 1983, this attaining operational capability on 2 July 1984.
The dedicated air-defense Mirage 2000C with an advanced electronic countermeasures system, a “look-down/shoot-down” radar, and a mix of air-to-air missiles with infra-red or semi-active radar guidance, with an active radar-guided type to follow, can also be used in the attack role. The 2000C was also produced in a number of differently suffixed sub-variants for export. Mirage 2000C aircraft have flown CAP missions during the Gulf War alongside other coalition fighters. The Mirage 2000 also saw action over Bosnia and Kosova in support of NATO. In 1987, the Dassault company offered a private venture two-phase Mirage 2000 update programme. The first phase, the Mirage 2000-3 with Rafale-type cockpit multifunction displays, flew on 10 March 1988, and the addition of a new central processing unit, an updated head-up display and Thomson- CSF RDY multi-mode radar resulted in the second phase Mirage 2000-5, flown on 24 October 1990.
In 1990 a major upgrade of the 37 Mirage 2000C design resulted in the multi-role Mirage 2000-5F which was first flown on 24 October 1990 and was also ordered by Taiwan. The 2000-5 is a multi-role variant capable of using the Super 530D or Sky Flash air-to-air missiles.
In 1979 Dassault was contracted to build two prototypes designated Mirage 2000P, later Mirage 2000N. The 2000P was being developed for the low-altitude tactical nuclear strike mission to replace the fleet of nuclear-armed Mirage IVPs. The Mirage 2000N made its first flight on 3 February 1983. Based on the Mirage 2000B two-seat trainer variant, the 2000P has a revised avionics suite and strengthened fuselage for the low-altitude role and the Antilope 5 nose radar optimised for terrain following, ground mapping and navigation and has additional air-to-air and air-to-sea modes. The rear seat is occupied by a WSO which has twin inertial platform navigation systems, a radar altimeter, ECM, a vertical camera, and an additional moving map. The aircraft configured with only the ASMP missile and 2 Magic AAMs is designated 2000N-K1, while the K2 configuration can also carry alternative loads.
Lessening tensions in Europe in the late 1980s reduced the need for nuclear capable aircraft and the orders for the Mirage 2000N were reduced to 75 aircraft. Delays with the Rafale program resulted in a need for additional aircraft with a capability for conventional weapons. This resulted in the Mirage 2000D originally known as Mirage 2000N’ (or N Prime). Developed from the 2000N-K2 is the Mirage 2000D, equipped with GPS it is developed for the use of laser guided weapons, but is not capable of carrying the ASMP missile. The 2000D-R1N1L is equipped with laser guided weapons and Magic AAMs only, while the R1 configuration can be equipped with the full range of conventional weapons. The R2 configuration is upgraded with a fully integrated self-defence suite and is compatible with the Apache stand-off weapons dispenser.
The first Mirage 2000D was flown on 19 February 1991 and the first of 86 aircraft ordered entered service in April, 1993. Mirage 2000D aircraft flew combat missions over Afghanistan equipped with laser targeting pods and laser guided bombs or free fall 250kg bombs. The export model of the Mirage 2000D is designated 2000S, where the S stands for Strike. Mirage 2000-9 is the designation for the upgraded version of the Mirage 2000 export models of the United Arab Emirates. Dassault marketed the Mirage 2000-5 Mk.2 either as a new aircraft or retrofitted from currently operated Mirage 2000Cs or 2000Es. It features an integrated mission system with a glass cockpit, digital modular avionics and enhanced communications.
Mirage 2000G
A cockpit development aircraft was designated BX1. To 1990, more than 260 have been delivered, including the two-seat B and N variants, and more than 160 export Mirage 2000s had been ordered by six nations. The Mirage 2000 single-seat fighter export customers included Abu Dhabi (22 2000EADs), Egypt (16 2000EMs), Greece (36 2000EGs), India (42 2000Hs), and Peru (10 2000Ps). At the beginning of 1993, planned Armee de l’Air procurement of the Mirage 2000 totalled 323 aircraft, including 136 single-seat Mirage 2000Cs.
Dassault Mirage 2000 Engine: SNECMA M53-5, 88290 N / 9000 kp Length: 50.295 ft / 15.33 m Wingspan: 29.528 ft / 9.0 m Wing area: 430.56 sq.ft / 40.0 sq.m Max take off weight: 33075.0 lb / 15000.0 kg Max. speed: 1320 kts / 2445 km/h Wing load: 76.88 lb/sq.ft / 375.0 kg/sq.m Range: 378 nm / 700 km Crew: 1 Armament: 5000 kg. ext. 9 Pods.
Mirage 2000 Engine: 1 x Snecma M53-P2. Installed thrust (dry / reheat): 64.5 / 95 kN. Span: 9 m. Length: 14.4 m. Wing span: 29.5ft (9m). Wing area: 41 sq.m. Empty wt: 7500 kg. MTOW: 17,000 kg. Warload: 6300+ kg. Max speed: 2.2 Mach. Initial ROC: 18,000 m / min. Ceiling: 18,000 m. T/O run: 430 m. Combat radius: 740+ km. Fuel internal: 3800 lt. Air refuel: Yes. Armament: 2 x 30 mm, 4 x AAM Hard points: 9
Mirage 2000C Engine: one SNECMA M53-P2 turbofan, 21,385-lb (9,700-kg) reheated thrust. Maximum speed 1,453+ mph(2,338+ km/h) or Mach 2.2+ at 36,090 ft (11,000 m) Initial climb rate 56,000 ft (17,060 m) per minute Service ceiling 59,055 ft (18,000 m) Range 920 miles (1,480 km) Range w/max.fuel: 3335 km / 2072 miles Empty weight 16,534 lb (7,500 kg) Maximum take-off 37,480 lb (17,000 kg) Wingspan 29 ft 11.5 in (9.13 m) Length 47 ft 1.25 in (14.36 m) Height 17 ft 0.75 in (5.20 m) Wing area 441.3 sq ft (41.00 sq.m) Armament: two DEFA 554 30-mm cannon (125 rounds/gun), up to 13,890 lb (6,300 kg) of disposable stores. Hardpoints: 9
Mirage 2000N-K2 Engine: one SNECMA M53-P2 turbofan 95.1 kN (21,385 lb st) afterburning Length 14.55m (47 ft 9 in) Height 5.15m (16 ft 10¼ in) Wing span 9.13m (29 ft 11½ in) Empty weight 7600 kg (16,755 lb) Max Take-Off Weight 17.000 kg (37,480 lb) Max level speed at 11.000m (36,069 ft) Mach 2.2 or 2338 km/h (1,453 mph) Service ceiling 16,460m (54,000 ft) Armament: one 900kg (1,984lb) ASMP tactical nuclear missile; up tp 6300 kg (13,889 lb) of ordnance Hardpoints: 9
In 1954 the French Government elected to create their own nuclear deterrent force. Development of a launch platform for the weapons was headed by Dassault with a requirement for a long-range high-speed mission to be met. Basically a scaled-up Mirage III, the project redesign considered many changes in size and powerplant, but the solution was found with inflight-refuelling.
The first Dassault Mirage IVA prototype flew on 17 June 1959, then powered by two 13,225 lb / 6000kg SNECMA Atar 09 augmented turbojets. On its 14th test flight during July1959 it reached Mach 1.9, and attained Mach 2 on its 33rd flight. The prototype set up an international speed record of 1132 mph over a 620 mile circuit in 1960.
Mirage IV prototype
Three pre-production prototypes followed, the first of which flew on 12 October 1961. Powered by a pair of 6400kg Atar 9Cs, this aircraft was larger and more representative of the production Mirage IVA, incorporating a large circular radome under the centre fuselage forward of the semi-recessed nuclear free-fall bomb.
The first of these pre-production aircraft was used for bombing trials and development at Colomb-Bechar; the second similar aircraft was used to develop the navigation and inflight-refuelling systems; and the third, a completely operational model with Atar 9Ks, full equipment including nose-probe for refuelling and armament, flew on 23 January 1963.
The French air force ordered 50 production aircraft for delivery in 1964-5, with a repeat order for a further 12 placed later for the French Air Force’s Force de Frappe.
The useful radius of 1,000 miles (1,610 km) can be extended by in flight refuelling. By 1967 all had entered French Air Force service, each carrying a free fall nuclear bomb under the fuselage.
By 1985, about 50 IV As remain operational. Most deployed as tactical bombers with strategic capability, carrying either a nuclear weapon or 1,000 lb of bombs, although a very small number have been mod strategic reconnaissance aircraft.
The IV A has received in-service modifications permitting it to be used for low level as well as high level bombing missions.
Dassault is converting 18 Mirage IVAs to carry the medium-range air-to-surface (ASMP) nuclear missile as Mirage IVPs. An avionics upgrade, including the fitting of a Thomson-CSF Arcana pulse-¬Doppler radar and dual inertial systems, improved navigation and attack capabilities. The Mirage IVP will also have an improved elec¬tronic warfare system with upgraded jamming pods and chaff dispensers carried on the outer wing pylons. The last of nine Mirage IVA strategic bomber units disbanded in July 1988 with passing of the French nuclear deterrent to silo-based S-3 strategic missiles. However, two units still operate remaining Mirage IVPs (P= Penetration) of 18 upgraded between May 1983 and December 1987 to carry the ASMP medium-range nuclear-tipped air-to-surface missile. Mirage IVPs have Arcana pulse doppler radar, dual inertial navigation systems, a Thomson-CSF Barem self protection jamming pod, a BOZ-100 chaff/flare pod and Thomson-CSF Serval radar warning receivers. Eighteen unconverted Mirage IVAs remained in store.
Production totaled 62 aircraft plus four prototypes.
The Mirage IV was retired from operational service in 2005.
Engine: 2 x SNECMA Atar 09K-50 afterburning turbo¬jet, 15400 lb (7000kg) thrust. Wing span: 38 ft 10.5 in (11.85 m). Length: 77 ft 1 in (23.50 m). Wing area: 840 sq ft (78.0 sq.m). Height: 5.4 m / 17 ft 9 in Empty weight: 14500 kg / 31967 lb Gross weight: 69,665 lb (31,600 kg). Max speed: 1,450 mph (2,335 km/h) at 36000 ft (11 000 m). Cruise speed: 1966 km/h / 1222 mph Ceiling: 20000 m / 65600 ft Range: 2480 km / 1541 miles Range w/max.fuel: 4000 km / 2486 miles Armament: 1 x 60kt nuclear bomb or 7260kg of weapons Crew: 2.
In the mid 1950s NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) issued a specification for a lightweight strike fighter powered by a single Orpheus turbojet. In France, the Ministere de l’Air drew up a parallel specification for an aircraft which differed essentially from that called for by NATO in having paired lightweight turbojets. Dassault prepared a basic design to meet both requirements, and evolved a third version of the design as a private venture.
The three versions of the aircraft were designated Etendard (Standard) II, IV and VI, and the first to commence its flight test programme was the Etendard II. Three prototypes had been ordered by the French government and the first of these flew on 23 July 1956. Competing with the Breguet 1100, the Etendard II was powered by two 940kg Turbomeca Gabizo turbojets and proposed armament included two 30mm cannon which were to be installed as a pack interchangeable with one containing 32 Matra 105 68mm rockets. It was intended to fit the Gabizo engines with afterburners, but as these were producing 160kg less dry thrust than promised and aircraft performance was, in general, disappointing, the programme was discontinued in November 1956, the second and third prototypes being cancelled. The second prototype was to have had 1200kg SNECMA R-105 engines.
Developed in parallel with the Etendard II and VI as a private venture, the Etendard IV light tactical fighter powered by a 3400kg SNECMA Atar 101E-4 was first flown on 24 July 1956. The Etendard IV featured larger overall dimensions, including 1.4sq.m more wing area, cabin pressurisation and longer-stroke main undercarriage members with larger wheelbase and track. There was provision for increased internal fuel capacity. The armament of the sole prototype Etendard IV comprised two 30mm DEFA cannon. Several variants of the Etendard IV were planned, including a tandem two-seat conversion trainer, a tactical reconnaissance model and a shipboard multi-role fighter version.
Etendard IV
Intended to meet the NATO requirement for a light tactical fighter, the Etendard VI was flown for the first time on 15 March 1957, three prototypes having been ordered in July 1955. Initially, the first prototype was powered by a 1700kg Bristol Siddeley Orpheus BOr 1 turbojet, but this was later to be replaced by a BOr 3 of 2200kg. Armament consisted of four 12.7mm machine guns and up to 540kg of ordnance could be carried on wing pylons. The second prototype, powered by the BOr 3 from the outset, had enlarged air intakes and an internal armament of two 30mm cannon, and was first flown on 14 September 1957. Both Etendard VIs participated in the NATO Concours at Bretigny-Chateauroux, from which the Fiat G.91 emerged as the winning contender. Construction of the third prototype, which was to have had a 2700kg BOr 12 engine with provision for afterburning and a fully area-ruled fuselage, had been terminated in June 1957. Both prototypes subsequently participated in the Etendard IVM development programme.
It was for the shipboard multi-role Etendard IV fighter that Dassault received a contract for the further development to meet the Aeronavale’s requirements. An order was placed in December 1956 for a semi-navalised prototype, this being followed on 31 May 1957 by a contract for five fully-navalised pre-production examples under the designation Etendard IVM.
Etendard IV
The prototype flew on 21 May 1958, followed by the first pre-production example on 21 December, both were powered by the 9,700 lb / 4400kg SNECMA Atar 08B turbojet. The pre-series Etendard IVM featured folding wingtips, a strengthened, long-stroke undercarriage, an extendable nosewheel leg, catapult spools and an arrester hook. Speed was in excess of Mach 1 at optimum altitude, and armament includes one or two 30 mm cannon and up to 3,000 lb (1,360 kg) of bombs, rockets, AS.30 air to surface or Side¬winder air to air missiles carried underwing. By comparison with the original Etendard IV, the IVM had 15.5% more wing area and a larger rudder. The second pre-production aircraft was completed with an 5080kg Rolls-Royce Avon 51 engine and blown flaps as the Etendard IVB.
Early in 1960, a series of catapult take-off and deck-arrester trials was carried out at RAE, Bedford, with the Avon-powered Etendard IVB. The fin-like antenna under the nose is associated with the guidance system for the beam-riding Nord 5103 missile.
Etendard IVB
In 1960, 100 Atar-powered Etendard IVMs were on order for service aboard the new French carriers Clemenceau and Foch.
Delivery of this version to the French Navy began in June 1978. Powered by an 11,025 lb thrust SNECMA Atar 8K 50 turbojet engine, it incorporates advanced high lift devices and a highly sophisticated electronics system. Armament includes two 30-mm cannon and up to 4,630 lb (12,100 kg) of air to air/air to surface missiles, bombs, etc. Normal powerplant for l’Aeronavale is the 9,700 lb. s.t. SNECMA Atar 8 turbojet, and the excess power of the Avon-¬engined Etendard is used for leading and trailing edge flap blowing for operation from smaller aircraft carriers than the new French types, if required. One additional pre-production aircraft was ordered in September 1959 and completed with a camera nose as an Etendard IVP.
During flight trials, the Etendard has flown up to M1.44 in a dive. Level flight speed is just over M1, and the practical limit is M1.3 or 670 knots. In addition to its fixed guns, the Etendard has four under¬wing attachment points for bombs, rocket pods, Nord ASMs, fuel tanks or other external stores, and the IVB has provision for an additional pylon beneath the fuselage. With two 1,000 lb bombs and cannon armament and full internal fuel of 660 Imp gal., the Etendard takes off in 1,650 ft. at 21,000 lb., or has a catapult end speed of 116.5 knots, and has a 400nm radius of action.
Maximum weight of the Etendard IVB is 22,500 lb., and it climbs to 40,000 ft. in 4 min. 20 see. Acceleration from 250 600 knots requires only 53 sec, and normal NATO naval strike equipment is fitted, including LABS and TACAN.
First flying on 21 May 1958, sixty-nine IVMs (plus 21 IVP tactical reconnaissance aircraft) were delivered between June 1961 and 1965, for both intercept and tactical strike roles from French carriers Clemenceau and Foch. Armament consisted of two 30mm cannon and a variety of underwing ordnance.
The mid-wing has 45 deg sweepback and drooping ‘dog-tooth’ leading edges and folding tips, inset ailerons, and trailing edge flaps. The tricycle undercarriage, with single wheels on each unit, retracts inwards into the fuselage, and nose wheel retracts forward. A stabilising fin is fitted under the nose.
Etendard IVM
The Etendard IVM remained in Aeronavale service until 1991, being succeeded by the Super Etendard.
To complement the Etendard IVM, the French navy needed a photo-reconnaissance version. This was the Etendard IVP that first flew in November 1960, and production totalled 21 aircraft for Flottille 16F. In the Etendard IVP, the attack fighter’s Electronique Serge Dassault Aida ranging radar and Saab toss-bombing computer are replaced by a nose installation of three Omera cameras, while another two cameras replace the attack fighter’s two ventrally mounted 30-mm cannon and their ammunition. The Etendard IVP is equipped with a nose-mounted inflight refueling probe, and can also carry a Douglas-designed “buddy” refueling pack on the centerline under the fuselage for the support of other Aeronavale fixed-wing aircraft, notably the Super Etendard development of the Etendard IVM.
Super Etendard, Aeronautique Navale, 11 Flotille
The first of three development aircraft for the Etendard IVM carrierborne attack fighter (converted from Etendard IVM airframes) flew on 28 October 1974, with revised powerplant, comprehensive high-lift devices and inflight-refuelling capability. The first pro¬duction example of the Super Eten¬dard single seat carrier based strike fighter on 24 November 1977. Initial deliveries to the Aeronavale began on 28 June 1978. The Super Etendard had a built-in armament of two 30mm cannon and various external ordnance loads on five stores stations.
By comparison with the Etendard IV-M from which it was developed, the Dassault Super Etendard introduced more advanced high-lift devices, a 5000kg SNECMA Atar 8K-50 turbojet of increased power, Agave radar in an enlarged nose and an entirely new nav/attack system with the AM.39 Exocet missile. French Navy Super Etendards were to be modified to carry the ASMP nuclear missile, and 50 aircraft were scheduled for completion by the end of 1988. Fourteen were ordered by Argentina and the Super Etendard was employed operationally from shore bases in May 1982 during the Falklands conflict. Seventy-one Super Etendards were supplied to the Aeronavale, production terminating in 1983.
The prototype of an upgraded version of the Super Etendard was flown on 5 October 1990, when it was proposed that a further 54 would be upgraded to similar standards (two by Dassault and 52 by Aeronavale’s Cuers workshops) at a rate of 15 annually from 1992, to extend the service life of the Super Etendard to the year 2008. The upgrade programme included both airframe modifications and avionics updating.
Etendard II Engines: two 940kg Turbomeca Gabizo turbojets Max take-off weight: 5650 kg / 12456 lb Empty weight: 4210 kg / 9282 lb Wingspan: 8.74 m / 28 ft 8 in Length: 12.89 m / 42 ft 3 in Height: 3.80 m / 12 ft 6 in Wing area: 24.2 sq.m / 260.49 sq ft Max. speed: 1054 km/h / 655 mph
Etendard IV Engine: 1 x 3400kg SNECMA Atar 101E-4 Wingspan: 9.04 m / 29 ft 8 in Length: 13.40 m / 43 ft 12 in Height: 4.30 m / 14 ft 1 in Wing area: 25.60 sq.m / 275.56 sq ft Max take-off weight: 850 kg / 17306 lb Empty weight: 5060 kg / 11155 lb Max. speed: 1100 km/h / 684 mph Armament: two 30mm DEFA cannon.
Etendard IVB pre-production Engine: 1 x 5080kg Rolls-Royce Avon 51
Etendard IVB Engine: 1 x 11,025 lb thrust SNECMA Atar 8K 50 turbojet Takes off run 21,000 lb: 1,650 ft Catapult end speed 21,000 lb: 116.5 kt Radius of action 21,000 lb: 400nm Maximum weight: 22,500 lb Climbs to 40,000 ft: 4 min. 20 see. Acceleration 250 600 kts: 53 sec Hardpoints: 4 Armament: two 30-mm cannon / 4,630 lb (12,100 kg) of external ordanace
Etendard IVB Engine: 1 x 9,700 lb. s.t. SNECMA Atar 8 turbojet Takes off run 21,000 lb: 1,650 ft Catapult end speed 21,000 lb: 116.5 kt Radius of action 21,000 lb: 400nm Maximum weight: 22,500 lb Climbs to 40,000 ft: 4 min. 20 see. Acceleration 250 600 kts: 53 sec Hardpoints: 4
Etendard IVM Engine: 1 x 9,700 lb / 4400kg SNECMA Atar 08B turbojet Wingspan: 9.60 m / 31 ft 6 in Length: 14.35 m / 47 ft 1 in Height: 3.90 m / 12 ft 10 in Wing area: 28.40 sq.m / 305.69 sq ft Max take-off weight: 10200 kg / 22487 lb Empty weight: 5897 kg / 13001 lb Fuel capacity: 726 Gal Underwing fuel capacity: 2 x 132 gal Max. speed: 713 mph / Mach 1.08 at 36,000 ft Cruising speed: 443 kts / 820 km/h Initial climb rate: 19685.04 ft /min / 100.0 m/s Service ceiling: 50853 ft / 15500 m Cruising altitude: 36089 ft / 11000 m Wing loading: 72.57 lb/sq.ft / 354.0 kg/sq.m Range: 378 nm / 700 km Range w/max.fuel: 3300 km / 2051 miles Armament: one or two 30 mm cannon / up to 3,000 lb (1,360 kg) external stores
Etendard IVP Engine: one 9,700-lb (4,400-kg) thrust SNECMA Atar 8B turbojet. Wing span: 31 ft 6 in (9.60 m) Length: 47 ft 8 in (14.53 m) Height: 14 ft 2 in (4.30 m) Wing area: 312.16 sq ft (29.00 sq.m) Empty weight: 13,007 lb (5,900 kg) Maximum take-off 22,486 lb (10,200 kg). Maximum speed: 683 mph (1,099 km/h) at sea level Initial climb rate: 19,685 ft (6,000 m) per minute Service ceiling: 50,850 ft (15,500 m) Radius: 186 miles (300 km). Armament: none.
Etendard VI 1st prototype Engine: 1700kg Bristol Siddeley Orpheus BOr 1 turbojet, later BOr 3 of 2200kg. Armament: four 12.7mm machine guns, up to 540kg of ordnance
Etendard VI 2nd prototype Engine: Bristol Siddeley Orpheus BOr 3, 2200kg Wingspan: 8.16 m / 26 ft 9 in Length: 12.40 m / 40 ft 8 in Wing area: 21.0 sq.m / 226.04 sq ft Max take-off weight: 5860 kg / 12919 lb Empty weight: 3720 kg / 8201 lb Max. speed: 1116 km/h / 693 mph Armament: two 30mm cannon
Super Etendard Engine: 1 x Snecma Atar 8K50. Installed thrust: 49 kN. Span: 9.6 m. Length: 14.3 m. Height: 12.631 ft / 3.85 m Wing area: 306.774 sq.ft / 28.4 sq.m. Max take off weight: 26460.0 lb / 12000.0 kg Weight empty: 14222.3 lb / 6450.0 kg Max. speed: 648 kt / 1200 km/h Wing loading: 86.31 lb/sq.ft / 421.0 kg/sq.m Warload: 2270 kg. Initial ROC: 6000 m / min. Ceiling: 13,700 m. T/O run: 700 m. Ldg run: 500 m. Range: 443 nm / 820 km Combat radius hi-lo-hi: 720 km. Fuel internal: 3270 lt. Air refuel: Yes. Armament: 2 x 30 mm DEFA 552A, 2 x AAM Hard points: 5. Crew: 1
The Super-Mystere shared only a common design origin with the Mystere fighter series, being an entirely new type. The first prototype, designated Super-Mystere B1 and powered by a Rolls-Royce Avon RA 7R with an afterburning thrust of 4330kg, was flown on 2 March 1955. In March 1955, the B1 became the first production standard European fighter to achieve more than Mach 1 in level flight.
The Super-Mystere has low-mid wings, swept-back at 45°, with dog-tooth leading edges. The tail-surfaces are swept with the tailplane mounted part way up the fin. Control is by conventional ailerons, rudder, and all-moving tailplane. Split trailing-edge flaps are fitted. Air brakes are on each side of the rear fuselage. The tricycle undercarriage has a single wheel on each unit. The main wheels retract inward into the fuselage and the nose wheel retracts rearward.
The first of five SNECMA Atar-powered pre-production Super-Mystere B2s followed, flying on 15 May 1956. Production was ordered for the Armee de l’Air, the first series Super-Mystere B2 flying on 26 February 1957, and a total of 180 were built of which 36 were bought by Israel in 1958.
The Super-Mystere B2 was powered by an Atar 101G-2 or -3 of 3375kg dry thrust and 4460kg with maximum afterburning. Armament consisted of two 30mm cannon and 35 internally-housed 68mm rockets (the rockets being discarded at an early service stage), external loads including two Sidewinder AAMs, two 400-500kg bombs or rocket pods.
Mystere B.2 EC 1/12 at Greenham Comon Tigermeet 1977
The Armee de l’Air Super Mystere were phased out in 1959 in favour of the Mirage IIIC.
Two examples were completed as Super Mystere B4s in 1958, these having Atar 9B engines rated at 6000kg with afterburning. During Israeli service, the Super-Mystere B2s were re-engined with a non-afterburning Pratt & Whitney J52-P-8A turbojet of 4218kg. In 1977, 18 of these aircraft were sold by Israel to Honduras where the last surviving examples were withdrawn from service in 1989.
Super-Mystere B1 Engine: Rolls-Royce Avon RA 7R, afterburning thrust 4330kg
Super-Mystere B2 Engine: SNECMA Atar 101G-2 or -3 of 3375kg dry, 4460kg / 9700 lb afterburning Wingspan: 10.52 m / 34 ft 6 in Length: 14.13 m / 46 ft 4 in Height: 4.55 m / 15 ft 11 in Wing area: 35 sq.m / 376.74 sq ft Max take-off weight: 10000 kg / 22046 lb Loaded weight: 6932 kg / 15283 lb Empty weight: 15,400 lb Max speed: 605 kt / 1195 km/h / 743 mph / M1.125 at 36,000 ft Max ROC: 17,500 fpm Service ceiling: 44948 ft / 13700 m Range: 870 km / 541 miles Range w/max.fuel: 1790 km / 1112 miles Armament: two 30mm DEFA cannon, 35 x 68mm rockets External load: two Sidewinder AAMs, two 400-500kg bombs or rocket pods. Crew: 1
Super-Mystere B2 Engine: Pratt & Whitney J52-P-8A turbojet, 4218kg thrust Wingspan: 10.52 m / 34 ft 6 in Length: 14.13 m / 46 ft 4 in Height: 4.55 m / 14 ft 11 in Wing area: 35 sq.m / 376.74 sq ft Armament: two 30mm cannon, 35 x 68mm rockets Crew: 1
Super Mystere B4 Engine: Atar 9B, 6000kg afterburning Wingspan: 10.52 m / 34 ft 6 in Length: 14.13 m / 46 ft 4 in Height: 4.55 m / 14 ft 11 in Wing area: 35 sq.m / 376.74 sq ft Armament: two 30mm cannon, 35 x 68mm rockets Crew: 1
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