Sud Aviation Vautour

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

The Sud-Ouest Aviation (SNCASO) S.O. 4050 Vautour II (French for vulture) was a
French jet-powered bomber, interceptor, and attack aircraft developed and
manufactured by aircraft company Sud Aviation.

The Vautour was operated by France's Armée de l'Air, having been originally
developed by Sud Aviation in response to a French requirement for a jet aircraft
to perform the bomber, low-level attack, and all-weather interception missions.
Amongst other roles, the Vautour was operated in the nuclear deterrent capacity
by the Force de frappe under the Commandement des Forces Aériennes Stratégiques;
each aircraft was suitable for the carriage of a single nuclear weapon. However,
the shortcomings of the type in the bombing role, such as its lack of radar or
other advanced navigation/attack systems, led to the type being replaced as a
bomber by the more capable Dassault Mirage IV. The Vautour never saw combat
usage with the French Air Force.

In addition to France, the only other customer for the Vautour was Israel.
During its service with the Israeli Air Force (IAF), the type undertook various
mission and roles and was quickly used in active combat. Vautours were used to
perform offensive strikes during multiple major conflicts between Israel and its
neighbors, including the Six-Day War and the War of Attrition. Only a single
air-to-air kill was ever recorded as having been accomplished by a Vautour; the
type was more heavily used for bombing and strafing runs against ground targets,
and was reportedly considered by Israel to be a contemporary of the Soviet-built
Ilyushin Il-28 medium bombers used by its regional adversaries. During the early
1970s, the Vautour was ultimately replaced by the American-built Douglas A-4
Skyhawk.

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. In terms of its basic configuration, it had a shoulder-wing
monoplane configuration, furnished with a 35° swept wing and a "flying" tail.
Power was provided by a pair of SNECMA Atar 101 turbojet engines, which were
carried in pods located underneath the wings. The Vautour was equipped with a
bicycle-type landing gear configuration in which the main units were located
upon the underside of the fore and aft fuselage, these were augmented by smaller
stabilizing gear set into bottom of the engine pods. The internal space of the
central fuselage was largely dedicated to a large 5.0 meter (16 ft 5 in) weapons
bay, along with substantial internal fuel tankage.

The Vautour was capable of being equipped with various armaments. In Israeli
service, it was typically armed with a pair of 30 mm cannons, as well as up to
four removable underwing rocket pods, containing up to 19 air-to-ground rockets
each; up to 3,000lb of bombs or alternatively a maximum of 232 68 mm rockets
could be accommodated internally in the bomb bay. 4,000lb of bombs could also be
mounted externally. The Vautour IIB bomber could be used to carry and deploy
nuclear weapons in addition to its conventional arsenal. The internal bomb bay
of a single aircraft could contain either one AN-11 or one AN-22 nuclear bomb;
however, in AdA service, the primary carrier of nuclear weapons would quickly be
transitioned to the newer and more capable Dassault Mirage IV, which
supplemented and eventually replace the Vautour IIB bomber.


Role
Fighter-bomber

Manufacturer
Sud Aviation

First flight
16 October 1952

Introduction
1958

Retired
1979

Primary users
French Air Force
Israeli Air Force

Produced
149

Originally, the AdA had intended to order a total of 440 Vautours, comprising
300 of the IIA model and 140 of the IIN variant. However, plans were modified;
ultimately no Vautour IIAs would enter AdA service and around 30 were believed
to be constructed, 18 of which being sold to Israel at a relatively low price.
In place of the IIA, the Vautour IIB was procured instead, which was suitable
for performing level bombing runs across all altitudes, as well as the low
altitude toss bombing attack profile. To address a deficiency of the Vautour
that had been determined mid-service life, this being its limited range in
comparison to contemporary strategic bombers, considerable emphasis was placed
upon the introduction and perfection of aerial refueling techniques in the AdA.
This led to the adoption of a 'buddy pack' to enable pairs of Vautours to refuel
one another in mid-air, allowing for the range factor to be better addressed.

In Israeli service, the Vautour had a relatively active combat career. As early
as 1959, the type was being used against Egyptian targets; the Vautour would
also participate in a series of actions throughout major conflicts between
Israel and its neighbours, including the Six-Day War and the War of Attrition.
Israeli Vautours were normally used to conduct bombing and strafing runs, along
with several air-to-air engagements. During the Six-Day War, Israeli Vautours
engaged in air-to-air combat with Iraqi Air Force aircraft while in the process
of performing raiding missions against H-3 airfield in Iraq's western region. On
6 June 1967, Captain Ben-Zion Zohar scored the type's only aerial victory,
having downed an Iraqi Hawker Hunter during one such engagement, although this
did not mean the aircraft had a clear advantage over the latter, emphasized by a
pair of Vautours being downed after having been struck by cannon fire from Iraqi
Hunters on the following day. Overall, a total of 15 Vautours were recorded as
having been lost in combat. Remaining examples of the type were retired during
1971 in favor of the American-built Douglas A-4 Skyhawk; the last aircraft left
operational service during 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.


Specifications (Vautour IIA)

General characteristics
Crew: One
Length: 15.57 m (51 ft 1 in)
Wingspan: 15.10 m (49 ft 6.5 in)
Height: 4.94 m (16 ft 2.5 in)
Wing area: 45 m² (484 ft²)
Empty weight: 10,000 kg (22,000 lb)
Loaded weight: 17,500 kg (38,600 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 21,000 kg (46,300 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × Snecma Atar 101E-3 turbojets, 34.3 kN (7,710 lbf)) each

Performance
Maximum speed: Mach 0.9, 1,106 km/h (687 mph) at sea level
Range: 5,400 km (3,375 mi)
Service ceiling: 15,200 m (50,000 ft)
Rate of climb: 60 m/s (11,820 ft/min)
Wing loading: 403 kg/m² (82.6 lb/ft²)
Thrust/weight: 0.4

Armament

Guns: 4× 30 mm DEFA cannons with 100 rounds per gun
Internal weapons bay for maximum of 2,725 kg (6,000 lb) of bombs (typically six
450 kg (1,000 lb) bombs), pack of 116× 68 mm (2.7 in) rockets, camera pack, or
two 1,500 liter (400 U.S. gal) fuel tanks
Hardpoints: Four underwing pylons each rated at 1,500 kg (3,300 lb) inboard and
500 kg (1,100 lb) outboard with a capacity of 4,000 kg (8,800 lb); maximum
practical total weapons load 4,400 kg (9,700 lb) of bombs, rockets, missiles, or
napalm tanks