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Experimental french planes serie

• Dassault Mirage MD750
• SNCASE SE.212 Durandal
• SNCASO Déver
• Nord Harpon
• Dassault Albatros
• Leduc 0.21
• SNCASO SO.4070 "Minerve" strategic bomber
• SNCASO SO.4000
• SNCASO SO.6021 Espadon
• SNCASO TRIDENT
  

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𝓒𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓻𝓸𝓵𝓼

𝒜𝒢𝟣 + 𝒯𝒽𝓇𝑜𝓉𝓉𝓁𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝟣𝟢𝟢% : 𝒜𝒻𝓉𝑒𝓇𝒷𝓊𝓇𝓃𝑒𝓇.
𝒟𝑜 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒶𝒻𝓉𝑒𝓇𝒷𝓊𝓇𝓃𝑒𝓇 𝒹𝒾𝓈𝒸𝑜𝓃𝓉𝒾𝓃𝓊𝑜𝓊𝓈𝓁𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓂𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃 𝟪𝟢 𝓈𝑒𝒸𝑜𝓃𝒹𝓈, 𝒶𝒻𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒, 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑒𝓃𝑔𝒾𝓃𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓇𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓉 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒶𝒻𝓉𝑒𝓇𝒷𝓊𝓇𝓃𝑒𝓇 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝒷𝑒 𝒷𝓇𝑜𝓀𝑒𝓃.
𝒜𝒢𝟤 + 𝒜𝒸𝓉𝒾𝓋𝑒 "𝑀𝑜𝓉𝑒𝓊𝓇 𝐹𝓊𝓈é𝑒 𝒮𝐸𝒫𝑅" 𝒾𝓃 𝒜𝒾𝓇 𝓉𝑜 𝒢𝓇𝑜𝓊𝓃𝒹 𝒲𝑒𝒶𝓅𝑜𝓃𝓈 : 𝐸𝓃𝓁𝒶𝒷𝑒 𝓇𝑜𝒸𝓀𝑒𝓉 𝑒𝓃𝑔𝒾𝓃𝑒.
𝒜𝒢𝟥 : 𝒜𝓇𝓂 𝒜𝒜𝟤𝟢 𝓂𝒾𝓈𝓈𝒾𝓁𝑒𝓈
𝒜𝒢𝟦 : 𝐿𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉𝓈
𝒜𝒢𝟧 : 𝑅𝑜𝒸𝓀𝑒𝓉 𝑀𝑜𝓉𝑜𝓇 𝒪𝐹𝐹 (𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝓇𝑜𝒸𝓀𝑒𝓉 𝑒𝓃𝑔𝒾𝓃𝑒 𝒸𝒶𝓃 𝑜𝓃𝓁𝓎 𝒷𝑒 𝒾𝑔𝓃𝒾𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝑜𝓃𝒸𝑒)
𝒯𝓇𝒾𝓂 𝓉𝑜 𝒯𝓇𝒾𝓂
𝐹𝒾𝓇𝑒 𝒢𝓊𝓃𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝟥𝟢𝓂𝓂 𝒟𝐸𝐹𝒜 𝒸𝒶𝓃𝓃𝑜𝓃𝓈

𝓗𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓻𝔂

In the 1950s, the French aeronautical industry was one of the most flourishing in Europe, even capable of overshadowing the all-powerful British aircraft manufacturers who were still surfing on their successes dating from the Second World War. Most of the French aircraft manufacturers were then semi-public companies, with the exception of Breguet and Dassault, and only designed aircraft in view of supplying them to the resurgent Air Force, which was trying to regain its place on the world stage.

Indeed, with the rise of Soviet manufacturers, the nations allied with the United States within NATO had to compete in ingenuity to design combat devices capable of outdoing the hordes of MiGs, Tupolevs, and others. Sukhoi supposedly ready to attack Western Europe. France, anxious to maintain its industrial independence vis-à-vis Washington and London, therefore embarked on a multitude of aeronautical programs, some of which were very ambitious, leading to very effective prototypes. Among these is the Sud-Est SE.212 Durandal.

Coming from the same program as the one that led to the Dassault MD-550 Mystère Delta, the Durandal was designed from the outset as a high-quality air superiority and interception aircraft. If the original specifications provided for a light fighter, the Société Nationale de Construction Aéronautique du Sud-Est (SNCASE or Sud-Est) nevertheless opted for a more complex machine. Indeed, the engineers sought to design a combat jet capable of both carrying an air-to-air missile, but also of carrying out close support missions, or even anti-bomber interception. In this last case, typical of the Cold War, the new aircraft, designated SE.212 was to be able to fire 24 68mm air-to-air rockets in two salvos.

The designers and designers of Sud-Est then embarked on the study and development of a fighter considered then to be of fairly classic invoice. A low-wing delta monoplane, the aircraft had a one-piece delta tailplane and a conventional retractable rear landing gear. It had a central attachment point that could receive the Nord AA-20 or Matra R-52 air-to-air missile, but also a DEFA cannon pod for two 30mm caliber weapons, or two 500kg bombs, or a basket of 24 68mm air-to-air rockets. The nose of the plane was truncated, like the North American F-100 or the Dassault Super Mystère B.2, both in service at that time, and served as an air intake for the SNECMA Atar 101F turbojet engine, the aircraft's main thruster. The SE.212 was also equipped with a booster rocket engine SEPR-75 of 750kgp. The plane was christened Durandal, after the legendary sword of the French medieval hero Roland. The SE.212 Durandal first flew on April 20, 1956.

The Atar 101F turbojet quickly proved to be relatively inefficient in serving the Durandal properly. This is why the engine manufacturer decided to replace it with a more powerful but above all more modern and reliable Atar 101G. To do this, the SNCASE built a second copy. It made its maiden flight on March 30, 1957.

During its trial period, the second Durandal set several altitude and speed records for this type of machine. On this occasion the SE.212 flew at speeds of Mach 1.36 and Mach 1.57 and reached the operational altitude of 12,300m. Despite its undeniable flying qualities, the Durandal had a major defect compared to its main competitor: it was unable to reach Mach 2.

This is the reason why the SE.212 Durandal was not ordered in series by the Air Force which preferred to refer to Marcel Dassault's plane, the Mirage III. However, the SE.212 continued its test flights for the benefit of the Flight Test Center in Brétigny-sur-Orge. It was definitively stopped in December 1958. Nowadays one of the two Sud-Est SE.212 Durandal is preserved at the Air and Space Museum in Le Bourget. The Durandal was the last combat aircraft designed and developed by SNCASE.