Dassault Standard IV

The Étendard IV is a light plane of attack built by Dassault and intended to be embarked on board Porte-avions. It was built with 90 specimens, brought into service of 1962 to 2000 in the French National marine.

Design

In April 1954, NATO lance a program named LWTSF ( Light Weight Tactical Strike Fighter ) intended to provide a general-purpose light hunter to its various air forces. The manufacturers see themselves imposing the use of the engine Bristol Orpheus, whose NATO financed the development.

Dassault lance then two indicated very close projects Mystery XXIV and Mystery XXVI : first is propelled by Snecma Atar 101 and the second by a Bristol-board Orpheus 3. Redésignés Standard IV and Standard VI, these projects are simply Étendard II increased of 15% and single engines.

A prototype of the Etendard IV is ordered by the France in November 1954. It makes its first flight on July 24th, 1956, that is to say the shortly after that of the Etendard II . In-flight tests show good qualities and, at the time of a simulated combat, the plane successful to beat a Mystère IV which is then the standard hunter of the Air force.

However, NATO refuses the project because of its engine and retains only that of the Étendard VI, which will be finally beaten by AERITALIA G.91. Disappointed, the Air force then decides to devote only to the future Mirage III. Only the National marine is shown finally interested and requires at the beginning of 1955 a version adapted to employment since its Porte-avions. Five planes of preproduction are ordered in May 1957, with the obligation to be able to supply itself mutually with flight (technical buddy refueling , to see the article Tanker).

Standard IV becomes Étendard IVM then after some modifications like the improvement of the high-lift devices, the reinforcement of the structure, the addition of a pole of in-flight refueling and the enlarging of the nose to place a radar there. The adaptations necessary to the use since an aircraft carrier had however been envisaged as of the beginning, which facilitates the task of the engineers.

The first prototype of Standard IVM fact its inaugural flight on May 21st, 1958. The second plane has of all the system of weapon, the pole of in-flight refueling and the folding wings. Third is equipped with a British engine Rolls Royce Avon and with a system of blowing of wing but will be lost during a ground explosion. The fourth is the first to be had the skittle under the nose, which corrects problems of rolling. Lastly, the seventh prototype is that of the version of recognition Étendard IVP, which does not have any more guns of 30 mm but has a nose modified to accommodate cameras and can carry a photo container dismountable plated under the fuselage. It makes its first flight on November 19th, 1960.

The first tests of catapult-launching and landing take place in the center of test of the Royal Navy in 1960, then on board the Porte-avions Clemenceau fine 1960-beginning 1961. The first production aircraft takes off on July 26th, 1961. The 90 ordered specimens are delivered to the National marine between on December 9th, 1961 and on May 26th, 1965. Replaced by the Super Standard, last Standard IVM are reformed in 1991, while Standard IVP and PM will be preserved until 2000.

Engagements

If Standard IV obviously took part in all the cruisings carried out by their Porte-avions of fastening, the only real missions of combat were the photo reconnaissance missions carried out by Standard IV P at the time of operations:

At least a plane is touched in 1983 by a Ground-to-air missile with the Lebanon, but manages to join its Porte-avions without difficulty. April 15th, 1994, Standard IVPM N° 115 is touched by a Ground-to-air missile in Bosnia-Herzégovine and, there still, its pilot manages to bring back it to edge Clemenceau .

Alternatives

  • Standard IV - prototype of the terrestrial version (1 specimen)

  • Standard IVM - version of embarked attack (6 prototypes, 69 production aircraft)
  • Standard IVP - version of embarked recognition (1 prototype, 21 production aircraft)
  • Standard IVPM - Standard IVM converts in IVP (4 planes modified at the end of the years 1970)

Markings

Users

References

External bonds

  • Standard IV on the site of Dassault
  • Standard IV on the not-official site of the French Naval Aviation

See too

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