Breguet Br.1120 (Sirocco)

Carrierborne Fighter Proposal [ 1956 ]

The Breguet Br.1120 Sirocco existed as a proposed carrier-based fighter intended to satisfy a French navy requirement.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 04/11/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]

Advertisements

By the time of the end of World War 2 (1939-1945), it was clear to global military powers that the aircraft carrier - and its potent fleet of carrierborne aircraft - were the face of naval warfare. The rebuilding French nation faced a mountain of epic proportions in coming back from the dead and its naval armed fared no better. Throughout the 1950s, the service collected many used vessels and aircraft from its allies of the war and, in time, eventually were able to claim their own indigenous aircraft carrier.

For this was needed a new-generation of jet-powered fighters capable of launching and landing on a moving carrier deck. In response, French aero-industry undertook a myriad of studies, projects, and testing of various designs - many proving unsuccessful or abandoned for various reasons. One design fitting the latter situation became the Breguet Br.1120 "Sirocco".

The Sirocco emerged from the pre-existing plans of the Br.1001 "Taon" ("Horsefly") of 1956 developed and flown against a NATO light strike fighter requirement (a first-flight was recorded on July 25th, 1957). This single-seat, single-engine fighter showcased a clean overall design with its shoulder-mounted swept-back mainplanes and equally-swept-back tailplanes. However, this record-setting design was eventually abandoned with one prototype ending up in a museum.

The Sirocco continued the form and function of the Taon, complete with its single-seat, single-engine arrangement as well as shoulder-mounted, swept-back mainplanes and swept-back tailplanes. The engine of choice became the SNECMA Atar 9 series turbojet of 15,300lb and this unit was buried in the aft-section of the fuselage, aspirated by half-moon intakes to each fuselage side (complete with active "shock cones" for high-speed flying) and exhausted through a single port under the tail. The cockpit was positioned over the nose to provide the best views for the naval aviator at the controls and the canopy was a simple two-piece unit with excellent views - though the raised dorsal spine negated any benefit to the rear. A tricycle (retractable) undercarriage was to be fitted and the usual arrestor hook assembly for carrier deck landings.

Dimensions on paper equaled a length of 46.7 feet and a span of 29.6 feet. Gross weight would reach 26,235lb as finalized and proposed armament was to feature a mix support for air-to-air missiles as well as conventional/nuclear drop bombs (interestingly no fixed, forward-firing cannon armament figured into this fighter design). Each wing was to be given a pair of hardpoints for the carrying of air-launched/air-dropped munitions.

Performance-wise, the fighter was expected to handle well into the Mach 2.0 speed range.

The shoulder-mounted nature of the mainplanes were to provide the aircraft with good lift-versus-drag and leading edge slats, along with trailing edge flaps, would have aided control on those inherently dangerous approaches to the carrier.

Whatever the reasons may have been, the Br.1120 Sirocco's development did not extend beyond drawings and performance/structural estimates it seems - the fate had by many French aircraft of the Cold War period (1947-1991). Once having graduated from its stock of prop-driven fighter forms, the French Navy eventually adopted capable types like the Dassault Etendard IVM strike fighter (detailed elsewhere on this site) which went on to have a most respectful career in service to the French.©MilitaryFactory.com

Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications

Service Year

1956

Origin

France

Status

CANCELLED
Development Ended.

Crew

1

Production

0
UNITS

Breguet - France

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

France (cancelled)

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

✓ Air-to-Air Combat, Fighter
General ability to actively engage other aircraft of similar form and function, typically through guns, missiles, and/or aerial rockets.

✓ Interception
Ability to intercept inbound aerial threats by way of high-performance, typically speed and rate-of-climb.

✓ Maritime / Navy
Land-based or shipborne capability for operating over-water in various maritime-related roles while supported by allied naval surface elements.

✓ X-Plane (Developmental, Prototype, Technology Demonstrator)
Aircraft developed for the role of prototyping, technology demonstration, or research / data collection.

Length

46.8 ft
(14.25 m)

Width/Span

29.5 ft
(9.00 m)

Height

14.4 ft
(4.40 m)

Empty Wgt

11,464 lb
(5,200 kg)

MTOW

26,455 lb
(12,000 kg)

Wgt Diff

+14,991 lb
(+6,800 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the Breguet Br.1120 production variant)

Installed: 1 x SNECMA Atar 9 turbojet engine developing 15,300lb (estimated).

Max Speed

1,687 mph
(2,715 kph | 1,466 kts)

Ceiling

60,039 ft
(18,300 m | 11 mi)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Breguet Br.1120 production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

PROPOSED:
Support for various air-to-air missiles and conventional / nuclear drop bombs of the period.

Supported Types

Graphical image of an air-to-air missile weapon

Graphical image of a short-range air-to-air missile

Graphical image of an aircraft conventional drop bomb munition

Graphical image of an air-launched nuclear weapon

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

Hardpoint Mountings: 4

Br.1120 "Sirocco" - Base Project Designation.

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.

66

Rating is out of a possible 100 points.

Relative Maximum Speed

Hi: 1700mph

Lo: 850mph

This entry's maximum listed speed (1,687mph).

Graph average of 1,275 miles-per-hour.

Max Altitude Visualization

Aviation Era Span

Showcasing era cross-over of this aircraft design.

>>

Military lapel ribbon for Operation Allied Force

Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Britain

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Midway

Military lapel ribbon for the Berlin Airlift

Military lapel ribbon for the Cuban Missile Crisis

Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War

Military lapel ribbon for the French-Indochina War

Military lapel ribbon for the Golden Age of Flight

Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War

Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars

Military lapel ribbon for the Iran-Iraq War

Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War

Military lapel ribbon for the 1982 Lebanon War

Military lapel ribbon for the Malayan Emergency

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the attack on Pearl Harbor

Military lapel ribbon for the Six Day War

Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War

Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War

Military lapel ribbon for the Suez Crisis

Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War

Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War

Military lapel ribbon for Warsaw Pact of the Cold War-era

Military lapel ribbon for the WASP (WW2)

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War

Military lapel ribbon for experimental x-plane aircraft

Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.

Images Gallery

1 / 1

Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.