Aviation / Aerospace

Breguet Br.1100

Lightweight Supersonic Strike Fighter Prototype [ 1957 ]

Just one flyable prototype was completed for the Breguet Br.1100 tactical fighter ground-attack aircraft program for France.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 02/21/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

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As the Breguet Br.1001 "Taon" (detailed elsewhere on this site) had been drawn up to fulfill a NATO requirement for a "common" European strike fighter, the offshoot Br.1100 was reworked to fulfill a more local French Air Force lightweight tactical strike platform. Proposals for such an aircraft were sent out in the latter part of 1953 and called for a single-seat, Mach 1-capable strike fighter supporting a broad ordnance load (while, rather interestingly, maintaining its lightweight status) and a single- or twin-engine configuration (the latter endorsed because of its inherent enhanced survivability at low-altitudes). A plethora of French aero-concerns threw their hats into the ring and the group included prominent players like Dassault, Fouga, Morane-Saulnier, Nord and - of course - Breguet with its Br.1100.

Building upon the existing framework established for the NATO Br.1001 "Taon" program, the Br.1100 differed in its arrangement of two side-by-side turbojet installations (as opposed to one, single powerful unit) necessitating the use of a wider, rounded fuselage. The wing mainplanes were appropriately swept-back and set low along the fuselage sides and sweepback was also apparent at all three of the tailplane members (twin horizontal planes and a single vertical fin). An airbrake was fitted ventrally under the tail to slow the aircraft down as needed and, again, Breguet engineers elected for leading edge slats and trailing edge flaps along the wing mainplane members for enhanced controlling. The twin engine arrangement was aspirated by semi-circular intakes at each fuselage side and each engine was given its own exhaust port under the tail. A retractable tricycle undercarriage was fitted for ground-running. In the overall arrangement, the Pilot sat under a largely unobstructed canopy and aft of a short nosecone offering excellent vision around the aircraft.

The engines-of-choice became 2 x Turbomeca "Gabizo" afterburning turbojet units of 2,645lb thrust dry each and up to 3,750lb thrust each with reheat (afterburning) engaged. The dual nature of the powerplant ensured better survivability over contested airspaces should one unit be knocked out of action. With this arrangement the aircraft could hope to reach speeds of just over Mach 1.0 at nearly 33,000 feet - and 700 mph near sea level making it a fast attacker/intruder.

Structurally, the specimen's empty weight was 8,362lb against a gross weight rating of 14,430lb. Dimensions included a running length of 41 feet, a wingspan of 25.7 feet, and a height of 14.2 feet.

The proposed armament scheme was to involve 2 x 30mm DEFA 551 series autocannons and a retracting Matra-developed rocket battery launching unit in the belly as fixed, forward-firing armament. This was to be augmented with ordnance set across two underwing hardpoints (one per wing member) used to support aerial rockets, rocket pods, or conventional drop ordnance, giving the aircraft a relatively broad ordnance-carrying role.

In its finalized form, the one and only prototype to be completed for the program achieve a first-flight on March 31st, 1957. Testing revealed limitations of the design including heightened drag induced by the well-aft tail unit - restricting speeds and keeping the aircraft from sustained supersonic speeds even in level flight (which should have been the key quality of the strike fighter). With that, interest in this lightweight twin-engine tactical strike platform ultimately waned and the project went nowhere before falling to aviation history.

A second prototype lay in an unfinished state before it, too, was given up for good. The designation of Br.1100M was reserved for a proposed navalized form but this design was not furthered.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1957

Origin

France

Status

CANCELLED
Development Ended.

Crew

1

Production

1
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.

✓ Ground Attack (Bombing, Strafing)
Ability to conduct aerial bombing of ground targets by way of (but not limited to) guns, bombs, missiles, rockets, and the like.

✓ Close-Air Support (CAS)
Developed to operate in close proximity to active ground elements by way of a broad array of air-to-ground ordnance and munitions options.

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

Length

41.1 ft
(12.52 m)

Width/Span

25.8 ft
(7.85 m)

Height

14.3 ft
(4.35 m)

Empty Wgt

8,378 lb
(3,800 kg)

MTOW

14,429 lb
(6,545 kg)

Wgt Diff

+6,052 lb
(+2,745 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Breguet Br.1100 production variant)

Installed: 2 x Turbomeca "Gabizo" afterburning turbojet engine developing 2,670lb of dry thrust and 3,310lb of thrust with reheat.

Max Speed

702 mph
(1,130 kph | 610 kts)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Breguet Br.1100 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 (FIXED, FORWARD-FIRING):
2 x 30mm DEFA 551 autocannons.
1 x MATRA retractable rocket battery launcher in belly.

OPTIONAL:
Up to two hardpoints supporting aerial rockets, gun pods, rocket pods, and conventional drop bombs as needed.

Supported Types

Graphical image of an aircraft automatic cannon

Graphical image of an aircraft machine gun pod

Graphical image of aircraft aerial rockets

Graphical image of an aircraft rocket pod

Graphical image of an aircraft conventional drop bomb munition

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

Hardpoint Mountings: 2

Br.1100 - Base Project Designation; single flyable example completed with second prototype left incomplete at project cancellation.

Br.1100M - Proposed navalized form.

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.

62

Rating is out of a possible 100 points.

Relative Maximum Speed

Hi: 750mph

Lo: 375mph

This entry's maximum listed speed (702mph).

Graph average of 563 miles-per-hour.

Aviation Era Span

Showcasing era cross-over of this aircraft design.

Unit Production (1)

1

36183

44000

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

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Images Gallery

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Image from the Public Domain.