Dassault Ouragan

The Dassault M.D.450 Ouragan () is a French fighter-bomber developed and produced by Dassault Aviation. It has its origins in a private venture by Dassault to produce an all-French aircraft which would make use of jet propulsion, which subsequently would receive orders from the French Air Force.

The Ouragan holds the distinction of being the first jet-powered French-designed combat aircraft to enter production, and thus played a key role in the resurgence of the French aviation industry following the Second World War. The Ouragan was operated by France, India, Israel and El Salvador. While in Israeli service, the type participated in both the Suez Crisis and the Six-Day War.

Development

Origins

As a consequence of the nation being occupied by Germany during the majority of the Second World War, France had not been able to contribute significantly to the great strides that had been made in aircraft design during the conflict. In March 1945, aviation designer Marcel Bloch returned to France from captivity in the Buchenwald concentration camp and was eager to re-establish the aviation industry through the development and production of an all-French fighter, powered by newly developed jet propulsion technology.

In 1947, following the bare-bones preparation of a factory and equipment, Dassault formally embarked on the development of this all-French fighter, which was solely at his own initiative at the start. however no firm order for the aircraft was placed at this time, necessitating the project to proceed as a private venture. This prototype lacked pressurization, armament, and the distinctive wingtip fuel tanks of subsequent production aircraft.

In May 1949, the second prototype, M.D.450-02, made its maiden flight. This second prototype featured a pressurized cockpit and more complete internal equipment. In December 1949, the 450 liters (118.9 US gal) wingtip tanks that would become an indelible feature of all Ouragans first appeared. These pre-production aircraft saw extensive use in various flying trials and evaluations, including various engines, armament schemes, and equipment payloads, as well as to support other development programs. Amongst these aircraft, which were designated M.D.450-1 through to M.D.450-12, were several notable revisions; M.D.450-6 was the first aircraft of the type to feature electrically operated trim tabs, M.D.450-8 (also known as M.D.450R), was configured as an aerial reconnaissance aircraft, and M.D.450-10, which was used as a flying testbed for the SNECMA Atar engine.

Production

According to Munson, around the time of the pre-production aircraft order, there had been considerations within the French Government for the procurement of up to 850 Ouragans under a five-year plan to recapitalise the French armed forces. On 31 August 1950, Dassault received an initial fixed order contract for 150 production Ouragans to equip the Armée de l'Air. In the following years, a further three orders, each ordering an additional 100 Ouragans, would be placed by the French government; however, the final of these additional orders would be cancelled in January 1952 in favour of an equivalent order for the newer and more advanced Dassault Mystère IIC. Aircraft so fitted were nicknamed "Barougan", derived from combining the Ouragan name with the Arabic word Baroud (battle).

Design

thumb|Forward section of an Ouragan

The Dassault Ouragan was an early jet-powered fighter aircraft. It employed a straightforward basic layout, with a single divided air intake in the nose that carried air around either side of the cockpit to the engine, which was located directly behind the pilot. The Ouragan was powered by a single Rolls-Royce Nene turbojet engine, produced under license by Hispano-Suiza. Early aircraft were equipped with Martin-Baker Mk.1 ejection seats, however the majority of production aircraft were outfitted with SNCASO E.86 ejection seats instead.

The first 50 Ouragans were built to the M.D.450A standard, equipped with the Nene 102 engine; the majority of aircraft delivered were to the later M.D.450B standard, being fitted with a Hispano-Suiza-built Nene 104B engine, which was lighter than the Nene 102 and with slightly greater thrust. Wingtip fuel tanks were fitted as standard in both variants.

In French service, the frontline service of the Ouragan was short-lived; from May 1955 onwards, the type began to be replaced by the more capable Dassault Mystère IV. In 1961, the last Ouragans were displaced from operational units; a number of aircraft were retained beyond this date in secondary capacities such as advanced tactical and gunnery trainers throughout the mid-1960s. In Indian service, the aircraft was given the name Toofani (), the Hindi equivalent meaning the French name of the type. Four Toofanis armed with 1000 lbs. bombs took off from Jamnagar early morning on 18 December 1961 to strike Diu aerodrome. However, due to a miscommunication, the strikes were called off and the aircraft jettisoned their payloads over the Arabian Sea. Later another six toofanis would strike the aerodrome and damaged Diu's control tower, wireless station and the meteorological station. They were also used in ground-attack missions against anti-government rebels in Assam and Nagaland, and in 1962 to perform reconnaissance missions during the Sino-Indian War.

thumb|An Indian Air Force Ouragan Fighter Bomber was forced to land near [[Badin by PAF fighters during the 1965 Rann of Kutch conflict]]

On 24 April 1965, a single Toofani strayed over the border with Pakistan, and was forced to land by PAF fighters; while the pilot was returned to India, the aircraft was retained and ended up being displayed as a war trophy at a museum in Peshawar. It was later scrapped.

As was the case in France, the Ouragan started to be replaced in frontline service by the Mystère IVA in 1957, being withdrawn fully from frontline service in 1965, although it continued in use for some years as an advanced trainer and target tug. The Israeli Ouragans were assigned to a total of five squadrons for the purpose of performing close air support operations, since they could not match the performance of Egyptian MiG-15s.

During the 1956 Suez Crisis, Ouragans principally flew ground-attack missions, but also flew escort missions. In the early hours of 30 October 1956, a pair of Ouragans shot down four hostile de Havilland Vampires in the Mitla Pass area. The poor training of the Egyptian pilots who were consistently unable to realize their advantage in numbers as well as the MiG-15's speed and climb characteristics, helped Ouragans to survive despite their inferior performance. According to Munson, Israeli Ouragans were responsible for the destruction of a major proportion of the hostile tanks and military vehicles that came under aerial attack during the conflict, while only two Ouragans were lost during the five days of fighting, both of which were attributed to small arms fire. The Commander-in-Chief of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is reported to have later stated "The Ouragan was a much better aeroplane than had been thought"..

An FMLN attack against Ilopango Air Base in 1982 destroyed several Ouragans and accelerated the push to supplant, and eventually replace, the Ouragans with American-made Cessna A-37B Dragonfly ground-attack aircraft, which were made available after the Reagan Administration dropped the arms embargo. The remaining Ouragans served on for several more years, but were all retired by the war's end.

Salvadoran Ouragans have been pictured in several camouflage schemes, and it is possible that during the war the Ouragan fleet operated in colors that were never completely standardized.

At least one survivor of El Salvador's Ouragan fleet is currently on static display at Ilopango.

Variants

thumb|Armée de l'Air Dassault MD 450 Ouragans

;MD 450A Ouragan : First 50 production aircraft, Nene 102 engine.

;MD 450B Ouragan : Hispano-Suiza-built Nene 104B engine, revised two-section nose landing gear doors as the original four-section design was prone to damage when the cannon were fired.

;MD 450R Ouragan : Reconnaissance variant, only one built.

;MD 450-30L Ouragan : One preproduction prototype fitted with a SNECMA Atar 101B engine, air intakes on the sides of the fuselage, and two DEFA cannon. First flown on 21 January 1952 it was used to gain experience before the first flight of the Dassault 453.

;Dassault Barougan: Four production aircraft modified for rough-field operation with the two-wheel main landing gear with low-pressure tires retracting into a fairing added under the wing roots, and a brake parachute.

Operators

thumb|Foreign Dassault MD 450 Ouragans

Numbers from World Air Forces

;

French Air Force operated 370 examples including prototypes.

;

Indian Air Force operated 104 examples.

;

Israeli Air Force operated 75 examples.

;

El Salvador Air Force operated 18 examples.

Aircraft on display

thumb|Ouragan at Brussels Air Museum

thumb|Ouragan at the Indian Air Force Academy Museum

;Belgium

An Armee de L'air Ouragan ("UQ") is displayed at the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History in Brussels.

;France

A number of MD.450 Ouragan examples are preserved in France including #251 and #450/"4-US", part of the jet aircraft collection at Chateau Savigny-lès-Beaune. The Musee de l'Air et de l'Espace at Le Bourget Airport has #154/ "4-LT" painted in a colorful "Indian-head" scheme but a previous code is just visible under the 4-LT markings. Ouragan #214/"UG," previously stored, is exhibited in the "Patrouille de France" paint scheme at the "Musée Européen de l'Aviation de Chasse," Montélimar.

;Israel

Israeli Air Force Ouragans "80" and "49", both combat veterans and survivors of the 1956 Suez War and 1967 Six-Day War, are on outdoor display at the Israeli Air Force Museum.

;India

An MD.450 Ouragan (Toofani), "IC 554," is on display at the Indian Air Force Museum, Palam, New Delhi. It was painted earlier in grey-green camouflage but now appears in natural metal in No. 47 "Black Archers" Squadron markings.

;El Salvador

Two Ouragans are on display in the Museo Nacional de Aviación, Ilopango Air Base.

Specifications (M.D.450B)

thumb|Dassault Ouragan 3-view drawing

thumb|Close up of the split air intake of a preserved Ouragan

References

Citations

Bibliography

Carbonel, Jean-Christophe. French Secret Projects 1: Post War Fighters. Manchester, UK: Crecy Publishing, 2016
Cohen, Eliezer. Israel's Best Defense: The First Full Story of the Israeli Air Force. New York: Orion Books, 1993. .
Donald, David and Jon Lake, eds. Encyclopedia of World Military Aircraft. London: AIRtime Publishing, 1996. .
Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. The Great Book of Fighters. St. Paul, Minnesota: MBI Publishing, 2001. .
Jackson, Paul. "Ouragon: Ancestor of Rafale." Air Enthusiast, No. 37, September–December 1988, pp. 15–24, 75–78. Bromley, Kent, UK: Pilot Press, 1988 .
Kopenhagen, W., ed. Das große Flugzeug-Typenbuch (in German). Stuttgart: Transpress Publishing House, 1987. .
"MD 450 Ouragan." Military Dassault aircraft, Dassault Aviation. Retrieved: 5 September 2008.
Munson, Kenneth. The Dassault M.D. 450 Ouragan: Profile 143. London: Profile Publications, 1967.

External links

Dassault Aviation MD 450 Ouragan page