Dassault Super-Standard

The Dassault Super-Standard (called the Corsair ) is a plane of attack and of French drives out built by Dassault, intended to be embarked on board Porte-avions. Successor of the Standard IV, it was produced with 85 specimens brought into service by the French National marine and the Argentine.

Design

At the end of the years 1960, the National marine French lance of the studies to replace its Standard IV and Vought F-8 Crusader . It accepts in 1969 the project of the Jaguar M (navalized version of the Franco-British Jaguar ), but this one is abandoned in 1973. The purchase of American planes like the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk or the Vought A-7 Corsair II is also considered, but the French government imposes finally the choice of the Super Standard proposed by Dassault.

This Super Standard is in fact a Étendard IV with a new engine Atar 8K50, an entirely modified avionics including/understanding in particular a new radar Agave requiring to modify the nose, and a news aerofoil of which the high-lift devices are improved. Two prototypes are constructed starting from Étendard IVM modified, and a third Standard IVM is only used to test the new aerofoil.

The first prototype makes its inaugural flight on October 28th, 1974. Second is intended to test the system of weapon and flies for the first time on March 28th, 1975. Once the third Étendard IV modified validated the new aerofoil, this one is installed on the two other prototypes, and the plane recovers its wings of origin to be returned with the Navy. The development is made in parallel of that of the anti-ship missile AM-39 Exocet that the Super Standard must carry.

The first specimen of series flies away on November 25th, 1977, and is officially delivered to the National marine on June 28th, 1978. The flotilla 11F is declared operational in February 1979. In July 1979, the Argentinian order 14 Super-Standard . Five apparatuses had been delivered when the Guerre of the Falklands in 1982 burst. The 9 others were blocked by the embargo and were delivered only once the completed conflict. The Super-Standard was chosen by the Argentinian navy because of its capacity to being implemented since its carry-plane 25 of Mayo. Because of long unavailabilities then withdrawal of the service of this one, the Argentinian Super-Standard are embarked more on aircraft carrier only at the time of exercises carried out with the Brazilian navy thanks to the Nae Minas Gerais then with the Nae Sao Paulo .

In order to allow to prolong the utilization period of the planes, a program Super Standard modernized (or " SEM") was launched in 1986: new radar Anemone and levelling of the electronics of edge, accompanied by a modernization of the cockpit. The first modified plane was delivered at the end of 1993, and the last in 1998.

In 1997 was delivered the first SEM known as " Standard 3" able to carry a laser nacelle of designation ATLIS. It was followed " Standard 4" allowing to carry out reconnaissance missions (to replace the Standard IV P reformed) with pod CRM 280 and improving the system of self-protection against the missiles.

A " Standard 5" is envisaged in 2006 to allow to carry the nacelle of designation Damocles of Thalès increasing the night capacities. This last modernization also includes the improvement of the communication systems and self-protection as well as the installation of new a Autopilot.

Engagements

France

The first missions of war of the Super Standard French were led to the top of the Lebanon within the framework of the Opération Olifant with the beginning of the year 1980. Thus, the September 22nd 1983 they successfully attacked Syrian batteries which had drawn on the positions from the French quota, while the November 17th of the same year they carried out a raid against a terrorist camp close to Baalbeck in reprisals to the Attentat of Drakkar in Beirut.

The Super Standards took part later on in strike air at the time of the wars of Bosnia-Herzégovine of the Kossovo.

As from 2001, the Super Standards operate starting from the door planes Charles de Gaulle , allowed with the active service on May 18th of this same year. Following the Attacks of September 11th, 2001 and the release of the armed intervention in Afghanistan, the Super Standards of the national marine are engaged within the framework of the French device (Opération Héraclès launched on November 21st, 2001). For this reason, they carried out many missions above Afghanistan, as well of recognition as of support fire (operative in this case in binomial, a first apparatus indicating the target with the laser, a second releasing a BGL of 250 kg), in particular at the time of the Opération Anaconda engaged by the Americans on March 2nd, 2002 in the east of the country. The distance covered at the time of these missions is about 3000 km, requiring three or four in-flight refueling. The Super Standards of the Charles de Gaulle again will be deployed with the top of the Afghan theater in May 2006 then in March 2007.

Argentina

The Argentine used its Super Standard during the Guerre of the Falklands in 1982. Making use of missiles AM 39 Exocet , they ran two ships of the British fleet: the Destroyer HMS Sheffield and the logistic ship Atlantic Conveyer .

The attack of the Sheffield proceeded in the following way:

A Lockheed SP-2H Argentinian Neptune , pretending to seek the survivors of the cruiser Belgrano , torpedoed not very front, establishes a contact radar with what seemed to be British ships. The two pilots of alarm, the Bedacarratz captain and the lieutenant of Mayora frigate, took off with 9:30 on board the Super Standard 3-A-202 and 3-A203 , each one armed with a AM 39 Exocet . They went up initially to 4.500 meters. They went down again for " biberonner" with a KC130 with… 30 meters of the floods! With 10:04, they were to 463 km of their objective: it was the final stage of the attack. Suddenly, an alarm started: they were illuminated by an enemy radar. They plunged to the short-nap cloth of the floods to escape detection. The pilots entered the coordinates provided by the Neptune the attacking unit of the system of weapons, then went up to 500 feet and lit their radar, but nothing appeared on the screen. They turned over at very low altitude and sank towards the last position indicated by the Neptune and relit their radar, this Bedacarratz time saw on its screen two echoes. If the first did not seem big size (Sheffield) the second was much larger (plane Hermes carries). The pilots fired their missile, but believed that it did not go because, when a AM 39 Exocet, is drawn, the engine spends a certain time to ignite (two seconds approximately). The aircraft carrier Hermes perceived the shooting of the missiles, but not the Sheffield whose radars were extinct. When the sailors of this last transfer the machine to melt on them, it was too late and, less than ten seconds afterwards, the Exocet was inserted in the hull. It did not explode, on the other hand, the rocket engine ignited a drain of fuel and fire gained the principal tank. The Super Standard were already far, sinking with 30 meters with the top them floods to escape detection. They were supplied, then returned at the base of Rio Grande, where they announced that they had fired two missiles under favorable conditions. A telephone call informs the pilots that London declared that a missile had touched the Sheffield . They never knew which of both had made fly.

Iraq

Between 1983 and 1985, five planes were rented by the France with the Iraq, then into full conflict with Iran. Iraq had indeed bought missiles Exocet but did not have yet the Mirage F1 able to draw them. It seems that one of the Super Standard was lost at the time of the Iraqi operations.

See too

Internal bonds

External bonds

the Super Standard on the official site of Dassault
the Super Standard on the site of association Net Navy
the site of the Flotilla 11F

Sources

Article on the destruction of Sheffield: Magazine Air Fan number 342, article Blow with the Goal on Sheffield

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