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Aviation / Aerospace

Dassault Etendard IV


Carrier-Based Reconnaissance / Strike-Fighter Aircraft [ 1962 ]



The Dassault Etendard IV was the first navy aircraft developed by French-based Dassault and gave sound, faithful service until retirement in the 1990s.



Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/06/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]
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After World War 2 (1939-1945), French aero-industry moved quickly to reestablish itself as a preeminent development center for advanced combat aircraft. This period (the "Cold War") coincided with the arrival of the jet age so French aeronautical engineers had a blank-canvas-of-sorts in which to develop all new fighting aircraft. In the early 1950s, NATO members - including France itself - were in the market for a lightweight aerial combat platform aircraft, influenced heavily by the air war of the recent Korean War (1950-1953), and development by Dassault Aviation of France began on a new transonic fighter aircraft.

Development

Both the Dassault Etendard II and Etendard VI (Etendard = "Standard") were prototyped for this requirement though, in the end, neither was selected by any one party. Even so, the French Navy was on the lookout for a jet-powered thoroughbred to field from a new generation of aircraft carrier (the Clemenceau-class) and partnered with Dassault to bring an offshoot of these projects to market - this becoming the "Etendard IV". The service contracted for ninety of the type to come in two forms, sixty-nine of a dedicated fighter model and twenty-one of a dedicated reconnaissance model.

The Etendard IV became Dassault's first foray into a carried-based fighting platform.

A first-flight was recorded on May 21st, 1958 and service introduction began in 1962. The fleet was fielded aboard FS Clemenceau and FS Foch who were commissioned at about the same time as the Etendard IV was adopted. The Etendard IV gave good service for its time in the air and deliveries spanned from 1961 to 1965. It formally ended its career in 1991 and the product served solely with the French Navy while none were exported. The fleet amassed some 180,000 hours of flying time and accounted for over 25,000 carrier landings in French Navy service.

The more advanced, more powerful naval strike-minded "Super Etendard" became a direct offshoot of the Etendard IV line and succeeded the series when introduced in 1978. Eighty-five of these were taken into service with the French Navy (and others). The SEPECAT Jaguar M was, at one point, intended to succeed the Etendard in the navy strike fighter role but this effort was derailed by politics.

Etendard Walk-Around

The Etendard carried the usual Dassault traits like side-mounted half-moon air intakes, low-set swept-back wing mainplanes, large-caliber paired internal cannons and a downward-sloping nosecone. The cockpit was fitted well-forward in the design to give the best possible view out over the nose - an important trait for carrier0based aircraft. The wings were also hinged to fold to improve on storage aboard the space-strapped carriers and an arrestor hook was seated under the tail for deck landings. Ground-running was accomplished through a conventional, retractable wheeled undercarriage involving two single-wheeled main legs and a single-wheeled nose leg. The tail unit was home to the mid-mounted horizontal planes which were elevated so as to clear the wash of the swept mainplanes seated ahead.

Engine and Performance

Internally there was a single engine aft of the pilot's position and this was a SNECMA Atar 8B series turbojet of 9,703lb of thrust propelling the aircraft to speeds of 683 miles per hour and ranges out to 2,100 miles. Its service ceiling reached 50,000 feet and rate-of-climb was 19,700 feet-per-minute. Taken as is, the Etendard was not a straight-line supersonic performer but could achieve supersonic flight when in a dive. Landing runs were reduced by deployment of a drag chute from the tail section.

Armament

Standard armament was 2 x 30mm DEFA 552 series internal cannons in fixed, forward-firing mountings (under the intakes) and these were each given an ammunition supply of 150 projectiles. As a strike fighter, the platform was also cleared to carry both rockets and bombs depending on mission requirement. The former arrived as 2 x Matra rocket pods containing eighteen rockets each and, for the latter, up to 3,000lb of conventional drop (or guided) ordnance across four weapons hardpoints. There was also support for the Nord 5103 air-to-air missile if needed. Bombs could be substituted for fuel drop tanks to help increase the fighter's operational range.

Etendard Variants

The Etendard family consisted of two major service marks but also included two prototypes. The Etendard IV was the designation given to the original prototype of 1956 and this carried the SNECMA Atar 101E3 turbojet engine. The Etendard IVB was another one-off prototype and this was trialed with the British Rolls-Royce Avon turbojet engine and blown flaps. The actual in-service mounts became the Etendard IVM, serving as a single-seat navy strike-fighter, and the Etendard IVP, serving as a single-seat reconnaissance platform with applicable equipment installed.©MilitaryFactory.com
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Specifications



Service Year
1962

Origin
France national flag graphic
France

Status
RETIRED
Not in Service.
Crew
1

Production
90
UNITS


National flag of France France (retired)
(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.
Maritime / Navy
Land-based or shipborne capability for operating over-water in various maritime-related roles while supported by allied naval surface elements.
Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR), Scout
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.


Length
47.2 ft
(14.40 m)
Width/Span
31.5 ft
(9.60 m)
Height
12.4 ft
(3.79 m)
Empty Wgt
13,007 lb
(5,900 kg)
MTOW
22,487 lb
(10,200 kg)
Wgt Diff
+9,480 lb
(+4,300 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the Dassault Etendard IVM production variant)
Installed: 1 x SNECMA Atar 8B turbojet engine with afterburner developing 9,708 lb of thrust.
Max Speed
683 mph
(1,099 kph | 593 kts)
Ceiling
50,853 ft
(15,500 m | 10 mi)
Range
2,051 mi
(3,300 km | 6,112 nm)
Rate-of-Climb
19,700 ft/min
(6,005 m/min)


♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)
Sub
Trans
Super
Hyper
HiHyper
ReEntry
RANGES (MPH) Subsonic: <614mph | Transonic: 614-921 | Supersonic: 921-3836 | Hypersonic: 3836-7673 | Hi-Hypersonic: 7673-19180 | Reentry: >19030


(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Dassault Etendard IVM 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)
STANDARD:
2 x 30mm DEFA 552 internal automatic cannons.

OPTIONAL:
Up to 4,600 lb of ordnance to include rocket pods, conventional drop bombs, missiles and jettisonable fuel tanks.


Supported Types


Graphical image of an aircraft automatic cannon
Graphical image of aircraft aerial rockets
Graphical image of an aircraft rocket pod
Graphical image of an aircraft conventional drop bomb munition
Graphical image of an aircraft external fuel tank


(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
Hardpoint Mountings: 6


II - Prototype Model Designation.
VI - Prototype Model Designation.
IVB - Prototype Model; single example fitted with Atar 51 engine and redesigned blown flaps.
IVM - Fighter Aircraft Designation for use with the French Navy.
IVP - Reconnaissance Aircraft Designation for use with the French Navy.


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.
60
Rating is out of a possible 100 points.
Relative Maximum Speed
Hi: 750mph
Lo: 375mph
This entry's maximum listed speed (683mph).

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
Dassault Etendard IVM operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).
Max Altitude Visualization
Small airplane graphic
Design Balance
The three qualities reflected above are altitude, speed, and range.
Aviation Era Span
Pie graph section
Showcasing era cross-over of this aircraft design.
Unit Production (90)
90
36183
44000
Compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian).
>>

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