Sud Aviation Vautour

Origins In the aftermath of the Second World War, France set about the rebuilding and modernisation of its armed forces. According to aviation authors Bill Gunston and Peter Gilchrist, "It would be fair to claim that in the early 1950s the Vautour was the most promising twin-jet warplane in Western Europe". An initial order for three prototypes was placed by the AdA. The flight test programme proceeded relatively smoothly; during one early flight, a prototype was recorded as having exceeded Mach 1 during a shallow dive. Production and further development Vautour II, the aircraft was manufactured in three distinct variants. Reportedly, a major motivating factor in the Israeli decision to procure the Vautour was to make a political statement to the country's neighbours, viewing the aircraft as a counterpart, and a response, to the Soviet-built Ilyushin Il-28 medium bombers, which had been acquired by Egypt. During 1956, two years prior to the Vautour even entering squadron service, France had issued a more demanding requirement for a supersonic replacement aircraft. The Vautour was used as a stop-gap measure as the airborne carrier of France's independent nuclear deterrent while the more capable follow-on aircraft was being selected and developed; its performance in this role was typically thought to be limited at best. ==Design==

The Sud Aviation Vautour was a jet-propelled mid-sized combat aircraft, typically employed as a bomber and attack aircraft, as well as having some usage as an interceptor. The Vautour IIB bomber lacked any sort of radar arrangement or many of the contemporary navigational aids and attack systems that were installed upon several aircraft performing the same role during this era. Aiming of the armaments was performed by a bombardier, who would principally perform his bomb-aiming function using a Second World War-vintage American-built Norden bombsight. The navigator/bombardier position was within the nose section, which was glazed to provide external visibility. The Vautour IIB bomber could be used to carry nuclear weapons in addition to its conventional arsenal. The internal bomb bay of an aircraft could contain either one AN-11 or one AN-22 nuclear bomb; in AdA service, the primary carrier of nuclear weapons would quickly be changed to the newer and more capable Dassault Mirage IV, which supplemented and eventually replace the Vautour IIB bomber. ==Operational history==

Originally, the AdA had intended to order a total of 440 Vautours, comprising 300 of the IIA model and 140 of the IIN variant. A fleet of 40 AdA-operated Vautour IIBs constituted the original air-based component of the French force de frappe, the Commandement des Forces Aériennes Stratégiques (CFAS) of the French Air Force, which had been established during 1955. However, their use in the strategic bomber role was determined to be less than optimal; allegedly, the Vautour's performance was commonly considered to be marginal and suitable for use as a stop gap measure at best. During early 1957, the type was officially selected to replace the British-built de Havilland Mosquito then in service with the Israeli Air Force (IAF). On 1 August 1957, the first Vautour arrived in Israel, delivered secretly via French air bases in Tunisia and with AdA markings. Deliveries of the type were completed in 1958. During August 1958, the existence of Israeli Vautours was publicly revealed in an air display. Overall, a total of 15 Vautours were recorded as lost in combat. Remaining examples of the type were retired in 1971 in favor of the American-built Douglas A-4 Skyhawk; the last aircraft left operational service in March 1972, their final role being decoy aircraft flown in the vicinity of the Sinai. The Israelis were pleased with the Vautour's range and versatility, and it was well regarded in Israeli service. ==Variants==

• S.O. 4050-01 : Two-seat all-weather fighter prototype, powered by two 23.5-kN (5,291-lb) Atar 101B turbojet engines. First flew on 16 October 1952. One built. • S.O. 4050-02 : Single-seat ground-attack prototype, powered by two 27.6-kN (6,217-lb) Atar 101D turbojet engines. First flew on 16 December 1953. One built. • S.O. 4050-03 : Two-seat bomber prototype, powered by two Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire turbojet engines. First flew on 5 December 1954. One built. The Vautour was produced in three principal variants, which had 90% commonality: • IIA: Single-seat, long-range attack aircraft, armed with cannon and bombs (carried internally or on four underwing pylons) • IIN: Two-seat, all-weather interceptor with or radar in nose, pilot and co-pilot in tandem seats, armed with cannon, air-to-air missiles, and (theoretically) unguided rockets. The designation was later changed to II-1N. • IIB: Two-seat bomber with glazed nose position for bombardier/observer replacing cannon pack, carrying bombs internally and on underwing pylons. Some IIB aircraft were converted to various specialized roles, principally reconnaissance (IIBR and IIBN), electronic countermeasures, and eventually target tug (IIB-TT). Production Total production was 149 aircraft, divided as follows: • Prototypes: 3 • Pre-production: 6 • IIA: 30 (13 for France, 17 for Israel) • IIB: 40 (36 for France, 4 for Israel) • IIN: 70 (63 for France, 7 for Israel) ==Operators==

; • Armée de l’Air received 112 aircraft. • 92e Escadre de Bombardement operated the Vautour IIB and between 1970 and 1978, some Vautour IINs • Escadron de Bombardement 1/92 "Bourgogne" • Escadron de Bombardement 2/92 "Aquitaine" • Bombing Training Center operated Vautour IIB variant • 30e Escadre de Chasse Tout Temps operated the Vautour IIN and used several Vautour IIAs for training purposes • 1/30 "Loire" • 3/30 "Lorraine". ; • Israeli Air Force received 31 aircraft, operating the type between May 1958 and April 1972 • 110 Squadron based at Ramat David operated 19 Vautour IIA and four Vautour IIB aircraft • 119 Squadron based at Tel-Nof operated eight Vautour IINs. File:vautour110israelweb.jpg|Vautour A File:vautour292aquitaineweb.jpg|Vautour B File:vautour230normandieweb.jpg|Vautour N ==Aircraft on display==

Former French Air Force aircraft: • Vautour IIN n°304 preserved at Musée Européen de l'Aviation de Chasse de Montélimar • Vautour IIN n°307 preserved at Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace (aircraft in storage) • Vautour IIN n°308 preserved at CANOPEE Châteaudun • Vautour IIN n°330 preserved at Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace (aircraft in storage, restored between 1997 and 2002) • Vautour IIN n°337 displayed in front of the Musée Aéronautique et Spatial Safran (Safran Aircraft Engines Villaroche, France) • Vautour IIN n°347 preserved at Saint-Dizier air base • Vautour IIN n°358 preserved by the association "Les amis de la 5e escadre" at Orange • Vautour IIN n°364 displayed at Musée Rozanoff of the Base Aérienne 118 (Mont-de-Marsan Air Base) • Vautour IIB n°615 preserved at CANOPEE Châteaudun • Vautour IIB n°634 preserved at Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace (aircraft in storage) • Vautour IIB n°640 preserved by the association "Ailes Anciennes de Toulouse" in Hatzerim Former Israeli Air Force Vautours (all on display at the Israeli Air Force Museum) : • Vautour IIA 09 "Hamashhit" • Vautour IIB 33 "Big Brother" • Vautour IIN 70 "Phantomas" ==Specifications (Vautour IIA)==