The French aero-concern of Fouga ("Air Fouga") was founded in 1920, originally tying its business to the railway industry. In time, aviation became its focus and, in 1952, a first-flight of the CM.170 "Magister" was recorded. This compact straight-winged, tandem-seat, twin-engine, jet-powered trainer went on to see production reach over 900 units through global operators numbering no less than twenty - such was its popularity. In May of 1958, the French concern of Potez, itself established back in 1919, acquired Fouga's assets and the storied Fouga name was forever gone from aviation circles as soon as 1962 - the Magister being retained as a flagship product however.
Against this backdrop, Potez attempted to interest foreign players in a new low-cost, revised version of an "ultimate" Magister during the 1960s to be known as the CM.173 "Super Magister". The product was to content with standing requirements centered on Advanced Jet Training (AJT) with a built-in light strike / Close-Air Support (CAS) capability - either for European players or the extensive global list of Magister operators.
The slim aircraft retained much of the form-and-function of its original design but incorporated benefits such as upgraded electronics, improved communications and navigation, and a reworked internal fuel system. The aircraft continued with its tandem-seating, twin turbojet layout. The wing mainplanes were straight-lined and mid-mounted while the tail unit was dominated by the trademark "V-tail" plane arrangement. A shallow tricycle undercarriage was used for ground-running, giving the aircraft a very low profile while at rest.
At the heart of this new aircraft were 2 x Turbomeca "Marbore VI" turbojet engines developing 1,080lb of thrust each. The engines were seated side-by-side in the design, aspirated by side-mounted, semi-circular intakes positioned along the fuselage sides and exhausted aftwards through individual jetpipes straddling the aft-section of the fuselage (and terminating well short of the aircraft's tail unit). Structurally, the aircraft had reported dimensions that included a running length of 33.5 feet and a wingspan of 37 feet. Gross weight reached 7,450lb.
It was intended that the aircraft would carry 2 x 12.7mm heavy machine guns and support the carrying of conventional drop bombs, rockets, rocket pods, gun pods and cannon pods for its strike role.
The CM.173 Super Magister was completed and, following requisite ground trials, recorded its first-flight on June 8th, 1964. However, it failed to generate much interest in a crowded Cold War marketplace and fell to history as nothing more than an aviation footnote.
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
✓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.
✓Training (General)
Developed ability to be used as a dedicated trainer for student pilots (typically under the supervision of an instructor).
Length
33.5 ft (10.20 m)
Width/Span
37.1 ft (11.30 m)
Height
9.2 ft (2.80 m)
Empty Wgt
4,740 lb (2,150 kg)
MTOW
7,496 lb (3,400 kg)
Wgt Diff
+2,756 lb (+1,250 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Potez CM.173 Super Magister production variant)
Installed:
2 x Turbomeca Marbore VI turbojet engines developing 1,080lb of thrust each.
Support for conventional drop bombs, aerial rockets, rocket pods, cannon pods, and gun pods.
Supported Types
(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
Hardpoint Mountings: 2
CM.173 "Super Magister" - Base Series Deisgnation; single, flyable example completed.
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.
64
Rating is out of a possible 100 points.
Relative Maximum Speed
Hi: 750mph
Lo: 375mph
This entry's maximum listed speed (628mph).
Graph average of 563 miles-per-hour.
City-to-City Ranges
NYC
LON
LON
PAR
PAR
BER
BER
MOS
MOS
TOK
TOK
SYD
SYD
LAX
LAX
NYC
Potez CM.173 Super Magister operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).
Max Altitude Visualization
Design Balance
The 3 qualities we look at for a balanced aircraft design are altitude, speed, and range.
Aviation Era Span
Showcasing era cross-over of this aircraft design.
Unit Production (1)
1
36183
44000
This entry's total production compared against the most-produced military and civilian aircraft types in history (Ilyushin IL-2 and Cessna 172, respectively).
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Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.
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France (cancelled)
