Nord Noratlas

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

The Nord Noratlas was a dedicated military transport aircraft, developed and
manufactured by French aircraft manufacturer Nord Aviation.

Development commenced during the late 1940s with the aim of producing a suitable
aircraft to replace the numerous older types that were in service with the Armée
de l'Air (French Air Force) which dated back to the Second World War. In
response to a competition organised by the Direction Technique Industrielle
(DTI), Nord produced their Nord 2500 proposal, which was selected as the most
promising. Experiences with the first prototype, powered by Gnome-Rhône 14R
engines, did not impress, thus the design was revised as the Nord 2501, powered
by the SNECMA-built Bristol Hercules 738/9 engines instead, which was found
acceptable. Accordingly, the Noratlas was introduced to service by the Armée de
l'Air on 6 December 1953.

Following its adoption by the Armée de l'Air, a number of other operators in
both Europe and Africa chose to procure the Noratlas for their own military air
services. Having found itself in a similar situation to France, the German Air
Force of West Germany chose to adopt the same solution, procuring the type for
their own purposes. The Israeli Air Force, the Hellenic Air Force, and the
Portuguese Air Force all deployed the Noratlas under combat conditions.
Furthermore, operators often found a wide variety of uses for the type,
extensively adapting aircraft to suit secondary roles in some cases. The
Noratlas was also adopted by a number of civil operators, although most aircraft
were flown by military customers. As such, several hundred aircraft were
produced during the Noratlas' production run, which lasted over a decade.

The Nord Noratlas was a purpose-built twin-engine, twin-boom transport aircraft.
It featured a large pod-like fuselage that was slung in between the aircraft's
twin booms and indirectly attached to them via its shoulder-mounted wing. The
Noratlas was deliberately designed to be operated under austere conditions,
featuring widely spaced landing gear, complete with wide low-pressure tyres, for
additional stability and suitability to moving over rough terrain, while the
propellers had sufficient clearance to accommodate such operations as well. It
was powered by a pair of SNECMA-built Bristol Hercules 738/9 engines, each of
which being capable of producing 2,040 hp and driving a four-bladed Rotol
propeller.

The sizable cabin of the Noratlas was capable of accommodating up to 7.5 short
tons of freight or a maximum of 40 passengers; when flown at a cruising speed of
200 mph, it could transport a 6-ton payload over a range of up to 750 miles.
Cargo was typically loaded into and unloaded from the main cabin via the
rear-facing clamshell doors, which were intentionally positioned close to ground
level to ease freight handling.


Role
Military Transport

National origin
France

Manufacturer
Nord Aviation

Designer
Jean Calvy

First flight
10 September 1949

Introduction
6 December 1953

Retired
1989 (France)

Status
Retired

Primary users
France
Germany
Greece
Israel

Produced
1949-1961

Number built
425

During its service life with the Armée de l'Air, the Noratlas was initially
predominantly operated in it cargo-carrying role; however, 10 had been fitted
out, as ordered, to facilitate performing passenger operations as well. However,
following the conclusion of Algerian War of Independence in 1962 and the
conclusion of French military operations in that theatre, many aircraft
underwent conversion work to perform additional secondary roles. Of the various
post-delivery customisations and modifications made to the Noratlas fleet, the
eight Nord Gabriels, which were used in the electronic warfare role, was perhaps
the most useful as well as being the longest serving aircraft. During 1989, the
final Gabriel was finally phased out of operations with the Armée de l'Air,
marking the complete retirement of the wider type as well.

The Noratlas had been able to attain particular recognition and notoriety
amongst the general public as a consequence of its use during the Suez Crisis of
1956. During the opening phase of the Anglo-French operation, French
paratroopers had been successfully air-dropped using the type to quickly deploy
at various strategic locations, such as immediately south of Port Said and Port
Fouad in Egypt.

Israel Air Force

During 1956, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) initially purchased three examples of
the N-2501IS. However, this procurement had been made under duress—the French
government would only allow Israel to purchase 12 of its Dassault Ouragan
jet-powered fighters if the nation also acquired at least three Noratlases in
the same deal. The Israelis were upset by the terms of the offer, however, at
the time, France was one of only a few countries that were willing to sell
modern armaments and combat platforms to Israel; eventually, the Israeli
government agreed to France's terms. However, once in service, IAF personnel
quickly came to realize the utility of the Noratlas following its performance
during the Suez Crisis of 1956.

During 1959, having been suitably impressed by its use under combat conditions,
the IAF purchased another three N-2501ISs; prior to the Six-Day War of 1967, an
additional 16 ex-German Air Force N-2501Ds had also been acquired and put into
service. The Noratlas fleet was primarily intended for cargo and paratroop
transport, although several aircraft conducted more unconventional operations,
being used as improvised bomber aircraft to perform long-range strike missions
into Egypt (known as Operation Drought), much as the contemporary C-130s
deployed the Daisy Cutter bomb in Vietnam. Amongst the other secondary roles
that the IAF are known to have used their Noratlases for included maritime
reconnaissance at the outset of the Six-Day War. It has been claimed that an IAF
Noratlas had supposedly identified the USS Liberty prior to the USS Liberty
Incident. During 1978, the IAF retired the last of their Noratlas fleet.

Specifications (Nord N-2501)

General characteristics
Crew: 4-5
Capacity: 45 soldiers, 36 paratroopers, 18 patients with medics, or cargo
Length: 72 ft 1 in (21.96 m)
Wingspan: 106 ft 8 in (32.5 m)
Height: 19 ft 8 in (6.0 m)
Wing area: 1,089 ft² (101.2 m²)
Empty weight: 29,327 lb (13,302 kg)
Useful load: 18,647 lb (8,458 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 45,423 lb (20,603 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × SNECMA-manufactured Bristol Hercules 738/739 radial engine,
2,090 hp (1,558 kW) each

Performance
Maximum speed: 273 mph/251 mph (440 km/h/405 km/h) maximum/under full load
Cruise speed: 199 mph (320 km/h) at 1,500 meters
Range: 1,550 mi (2,500 km)
Service ceiling: 23,300 ft (7,100 m)
Rate of climb: 1,080 ft/min (5.5 m/s)




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