SNCASE (abbreviated from Société nationale des constructions aéronautiques du Sud-Est) or Sud-Est (formerly Leo 50) fighter.

As well as fixed winged aircraft work, SNCASE carried out research into rotary-winged aircraft capitalising on the experience gained from absorbing the Liore et Olivier team which had license-built the Cierva C.30 design (as the LeO C.30 and C.301 to C.305 variants), and designing and building the LeO C.34 (derived from Kellett designs). After World War II further work on autogyro's produced the SE.700 and SE.700A multi-seat Liaison autogyros, which were quickly over-shadowed by the rapid development of helicopters.

SNCASE continued experimenting with helicopters with the help from a team from Focke Achgelis building the SE.3000, which was a French version of the twin-rotor Focke Achgelis Fa 223 Drache, and the smaller, more conventional, SE.3101. With this experience SNCASE went on to design the SE.3110 and eventually the SE.3120 Alouette which first flew on 21 July 1951 and broke the helicopter distance and speed records in July 1953. Production versions of the Alouette emerged as the commercially successful Alouette II and Alouette III, resulting in production runs of several hundreds, with many exported.

Fixed wing aircraft were also developed post World War II, with several jet research aircraft and two significant airliners: The SE-2010 Armagnac and the SE-210 Caravelle airliners. Production licences were also obtained from de Havilland for the de Havilland Sea Venom to provide all-weather and day fighters for the Aéronautique Navale., with 121 two-seat and single-seat Aquilon 20 / 201 / 202 / 203 / 204 built from 1952.

SNCASE aircraft production

Early three digit sequence

  • SNCASE SE.100 (developed from Liore et Olivier LeO 50) (1939)
  • SNCASE SE.161 Languedoc (developed from Bloch 160) (1939)
  • SNCASE SE.200 Amphitrite (1942)
  • SNCASE SE-400 (1939)
  • SNCASE SE-700 & 700A (1945)

Four digit model sequence

  • SNCASE SE-1010 (1948) <!--reconnaissance-->
  • SNCASE SE-1210 (1948) <!--reconnaissance-->
  • SNCASE SE-2010 Armagnac (1949)
  • SNCASE SE-2100 (1945) <!--sport aircraft-->
  • SNCASE SE-2300 & 2310 (1945) <!--sport aircraft-->
  • SNCASE SE-2410 & 2415 Grognard (1950)
  • SNCASE SE-5000 & 5003 Baroudeur (1953)

Helicopters (3000-series designation sequence)

  • SNCASE SE-3000 (development of Focke-Achgelis Fa 223) (1948)
  • SNCASE SE-3101 (1948)
  • SNCASE SE-3110 (1950)
  • SNCASE SE.3120 Alouette (1951)
  • SNCASE SE-3130 Alouette II & SE-3131 Gouverneur (1955)
  • SNCASE SE-3150 Lama (1969)
  • SNCASE SE-3160 Alouette III (1959)
  • SNCASE SE-3200 Frelon (1959)

Late three digit designation sequence

  • SNCASE SE-116 & 117 Voltigeur (1958)
  • SNCASE SE-210 Caravelle (1955)
  • SNCASE SE.212 Durandal (1956)

Designs built under licence

  • SNCASE SE-532-535 Mistral; license-built de Havilland Vampire (1951)
  • SNCASE Aquilon; license-built de Havilland Sea Venom (1952)

References

  • Aviafrance - S.N.C.A.S.E.
  • Aviafrance - S.N.C.A.S.E. 'Aquilon' 20
  • Aviafrance - S.N.C.A.S.E. 'Aquilon' 202
  • Aviafrance - S.N.C.A.S.E. 'Aquilon' 203
  • Aviafrance - S.N.C.A.S.E. SE-210 'Caravelle'
  • Aviafrance - S.N.C.A.S.E. SE-2010 'Armagnac'
  • Aviafrance - S.N.C.A.S.E. SE-100
  • Aviafrance - S.N.C.A.S.E. SE-700