Dassault Ouragan

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dassault_Ouragan

The Dassault M.D.450 Ouragan (French: Hurricane) was a French fighter-bomber
developed and produced by Dassault Aviation. It has its origins in a private
venture by Dassault to produce an all-French aircraft which would make use of
jet propulsion, which subsequently would receive orders from the French Air
Force.

The Ouragan holds the destinction of being the first jet-powered French-designed
combat aircraft to enter production, and thus played a key role in the
resurgence of the French aviation industry following the Second World War. The
Ouragan was operated by France, India, Israel and El Salvador. While in Israeli
service, the type participated in both the Suez Crisis and the Six-Day War.

As a consequence of the nation being occupied by Germany during the majority of
the Second World War, France had not been able to contribute significantly to
the great strides that had been made in aircraft design during the conflict. In
March 1945, aviation designer Marcel Bloch returned to France from captivity in
the Buchenwald concentration camp and was eager to re-establish the aviation
industry through the development and production of an all-French fighter,
powered by newly developed jet propulsion technology. In particular, he was keen
to develop the aircraft quickly enough to corner the emerging market for such an
aircraft. In early 1946, Bloch renamed both himself and his new company
Dassault, after his brother's wartime codename in the French Resistance.

The Dassault Ouragan was an early jet-powered fighter aircraft. It employed a
straightforward basic layout, with a single divided air intake in the nose that
carried air around either side of the cockpit to the engine, which was located
directly behind the pilot. The Ouragan was powered by a single Rolls-Royce Nene
turbojet engine, produced under license by Hispano-Suiza. Early aircraft were
equipped with Martin-Baker Mk.1 ejector seats, however the majority of
production aircraft were outfitted with SNCASO E.86 ejector seats instead. Some
of the more advanced aerodynamic features of the Ouragan included its swept
tailplane and its thin wing, which was tapered along the leading edge.


Role
Fighter-bomber

Manufacturer
Dassault Aviation

Designer
Marcel Dassault

First flight
28 February 1949

Introduction
1952

Retired
1980s

Primary users
French Air Force
Indian Air Force
Israeli Air Force
El Salvador Air Force

Produced
1949-1954

Number built
118

The first 50 Ouragans were built to the M.D.450A standard, equipped with the
Nene 102 engine; the majority of aircraft delivered were to the later M.D.450B
standard, being fitted with a Hispano-Suiza-built Nene 104B engine, which was
lighter than the Nene 102 and with slightly greater thrust. Wingtip fuel tanks
were fitted as standard in both variants.

In French service, the frontline service of the Ouragan was short-lived; from
May 1955 onwards, the type began to be replaced by the more capable Dassault
Mystère IV. In 1961, the last Ouragans were displaced from operational units; a
number of aircraft were retained beyond this date in secondary capacities such
as advanced tactical and gunnery trainers throughout the mid-1960s.

Israel

By 1955, the IAF had received at least 75 aircraft, comprising a mix of
newly-built and retired French Air Force examples, with deliveries being
completed that year. The Israeli Ouragans were assigned to a total of five
squadrons for the purpose of performing close air support operations, since they
could not match the performance of Egyptian MiG-15s. On 12 April 1956, an
Israeli Ouragan shot down an Egyptian de Havilland Vampire flying over Israeli
territory, it being the first recorded kill by an Ouragan in Israeli service.

During the 1956 Suez Crisis, Ouragans principally flew ground-attack missions,
but also flew escort missions. In the early hours of 30 October 1956, a pair of
Ouragans shot down four hostile de Havilland Vampires in the Mitla Pass area.
The two documented encounters between the Soviet-built MiG-15 fighters and the
Ouragan (which were also powered by the Nene engine but furnished with a more
modern swept wing) ended with one Ouragan surviving several 37 mm (1.46 in)
cannon hits to fly the next day and one MiG-15 being heavily damaged by cannon
fire after it entered a turning dogfight with the Ouragans. The poor training of
the Egyptian pilots who were consistently unable to realize their advantage in
numbers as well as the MiG-15's speed and climb characteristics, helped Ouragans
to survive despite their inferior performance.

On 31 October 1956, a pair of Ouragans armed with rockets strafed the Egyptian
destroyer Ibrahim el Awal (ex-HMS Mendip), contributing to the capture of the
ship. According to Munson, Israeli Ouragans were responsible for the destruction
of a major proportion of the hostile tanks and military vehicles that came under
aerial attack during the conflict, while only two Ouragans were lost during the
five days of fighting, both of which were attributed to small arms fire. The
Commander-in-Chief of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is reported to have later
stated "The Ouragan was a much better aeroplane than had been thought".

Specifications (M.D.450B)

General characteristics
Crew: one
Length: 10.73 m (35 ft 2 in)
Wingspan: 13.16 m (43 ft 2 in)
Height: 4.14 m (13 ft 7 in)
Wing area: 23.8 m² (256.2 ft²)
Aspect ratio: 7.3:1
Empty weight: 4,142 kg (9,132 lb)
Loaded weight: 7,404 kg (16,323 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 7,900 kg (17,416 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce Nene 104B turbojet, 22.2 kN (4,990 lbf)

Performance
Never exceed speed: Mach 0.83
Maximum speed: 940 km/h (508 knots, 584 mph) (Mach 0.76) at sea level
Cruise speed: 750 km/h (405 knots, 465 mph)
Combat radius: 450 km (245 nm, 280 mi)
Ferry range: 920 km (500 nm, 570 mi)
Service ceiling: 13 000 m (42,650 ft)
Rate of climb: 38 m/s (7,480 ft/min)
Takeoff distance: 783 m (2,570 ft)
Landing distance: 910 m (2,985 ft)

Armament

Guns: 4× 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannon with 125 rounds per gun
Rockets: 16× 105 mm (4.1 in) Brandt T-10 air-to-ground unguided rockets; or, 2×
Matra rocket pods with 18× SNEB 68 mm rockets each
Bombs: 2,270 kg (4,500 lb) of payload on four external hardpoints, including a
variety of unguided iron bombs such as 2× 227 kg (500 lb) bombs or 2× 458 liter
(121 US gallon) napalm bombs or Drop tanks for extended range





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