SNCAC Martinet

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In May-June of 1940, the German military finalized its conquest of France and, with it, claimed ownership of vitally important manpower and aero-industry facilities. This ultimately meant that the "Societe Nationale de Constructions Aeronautiques du Centre" - or SNCAC - now fell under new owners. With the ever-constant need for viable transport aircraft to keep the German war machine humming along, the SNCAC facility at Bourges was directed to produce the German-designed Siebel Si 204 twin-engine light transport / trainer aircraft to ease demand.

This Siebel twin was an original aircraft design - based in the earlier Siebel Fh 104 of 1937, forty-six being completed - developed to a German Air Ministry requirement in 1938. It carried a crew of two with seating for eight, a stepped cockpit, and held many physical features consistent with aircraft of the period - twin rudder fins, leading edge engine nacelles, tail-dragger undercarriage, etc. A total of 1,216 would ultimately be built - though with some wartime help from the French.

With the arrival of war in Europe, the Luftwaffe took the design on as a trainer and Siebel fashioned a step-less, rounded and glazed nose section for better viewing out-of-the-cockpit (similar in scope to the Heinkel He 111). A first-flight was recorded in the middle part of 1940 and service introduction occurred with the Luftwaffe who stocked their inventory with these flight/crew trainers.

For its operational life, the series was powered by 2 x Argus As 410 or As 411 engines. Fifteen prototypes were completed as V1 to V15.

With SNCAC now falling under German control, the aircraft was produced by France from the period of April 1942 until August of 1944 to which 168 examples were ultimately completed for the Luftwaffe. Other variants were also manufactured by other foreign concerns such as Aero Vodochody of Czechoslovakia. The series, as a whole, was in production until January of 1945.

The war ended with a German defeat and a French liberation by May of that year, leaving French aero-industry to pick up the pieces from the devastating occupation period. In the post-war world, the French saw enough value in the aircraft to continue its use though now under the local designation of "NC.700". The line begat variants in the "NC.701", with its rounded, glazed nose section, and the "NC.702", with its original stepped cockpit design.

The French aircraft were powered by Renault 12S-00 V12 inverted air-cooled engines (a copy of the German Argus As 411). SNCAC produced 30 examples of the A-0 model, 85 examples of the A-1 model and 53 examples of the D-1 model for its part in the war (A-0 marked pre-series forms while A-1 was the production passenger model. D-1 aircraft were "blind" trainers).

The NC.701 model was based in the Siebel Si 204D and used effectively as flight/crew trainers complete with dual-control schemes. The NC.702 was born from the Siebel Si 204A and could seat eight passengers. The series in French service was named "Martinet".

The aircraft was operated by both the French Air Force as well as the French Navy in the trainer and light transport roles into 1963. Air carrier Air France operated a modest fleet of the aircraft for a short time until better post-war surplus options became available.

Specifications

Service Year

1945

Origin

France

Status

RETIRED
Not in Service.

Crew

Production

168
UNITS

Societe Nationale de Constructions Aeronatiques du Centre (SNCAC) - France

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

France; Morocco; Nazi Germany; Poland; Sweden

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Transport
General transport functionality to move supplies/cargo or personnel (including wounded and VIP) over range.

✓ Training (General)
Developed ability to be used as a dedicated trainer for student pilots (typically under the supervision of an instructor).

Length

41.2 ft
(12.57 m)

Width/Span

69.9 ft
(21.30 m)

Height

10.8 ft
(3.30 m)

Empty Wgt

8,818 lb
(4,000 kg)

MTOW

12,644 lb
(5,735 kg)

Wgt Diff

+3,825 lb
(+1,735 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the SNCAC NC.701 production variant)

Installed: 2 x Renault (Argus As 411) 12S-00 engines developing 590 horsepower each.

Max Speed

217 mph
(350 kph | 189 kts)

Ceiling

24,606 ft
(7,500 m | 5 mi)

Range

1,056 mi
(1,700 km | 3,148 nm)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the SNCAC NC.701 production variant. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

None.

NC.700 - Base Series Designation; prototype with Renault 12S German Si-204 engines.

NC.701 - Communications training platform; dual-control scheme; revised nose section.

NC.702 - Definitive transport variant; based on the German Si-204A offering.

General Assessment

Firepower

Performance

Survivability

Versatility

Impact

Values are derrived from a variety of categories related to the design, overall function, and historical influence of this aircraft in aviation history.

Overall Rating

The overall rating takes into account over 60 individual factors related to this aircraft entry.

Rating is out of a possible 100 points.

Relative Maximum Speed

Hi: 300mph

Lo: 150mph

This entry's maximum listed speed (217mph).

Graph average of 225 miles-per-hour.

City-to-City Ranges

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

SNCAC NC.701 operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

Max Altitude Visualization

Design Balance

The three qualities reflected above are altitude, speed, and range.

Aviation Era Span

Showcasing era cross-over of this aircraft design.

Unit Production (168)

168

36183

44000

Compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian).

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Aviation / Aerospace

SNCAC Martinet

light Utility / Trainer / Transport Aircraft [ 1945 ]

While a German-designed aircraft, the SNCAC Martinet was produced by French aero-industry in the post-World War 2 period.

Specifications