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Nord 1500 (Griffon)

History

After World War II (1939-1945), the Soviet Union became the enemy of the West, and with it came a series of ever-improving high-performance bombers and attack aircraft. In response, the West embarked on a series of high-profile and costly ventures to devise a response to this anticipated threat from the East. For the French nation, which suffered from the German army in World War II, the focus was on the reconstruction of the aviation industry, and many projects were realized in this "Cold War".

One of the entries became the Nord 1500 "Griffon".

Origin of Griffon

Griffon is a development of Nord Aviation, a state-owned group founded in 1954, by the French Ministry of Aviation in search of a Mach 2 interceptor with superior aerial performance as well as rough ground field operations. The basic idea is to provide the French Air Force with the instruments it needs to deal with threats head-on in a short period of time, as the aircraft requires considerable power to achieve an excellent rate of climb and straight-line speed.

In August 1953, the French government approved Nord's order for two prototypes to cover an experimental die set designed to bridge the gap between concept and production quality systems. Having recently gained experience with the Gerfaut 1400, Nord engineers were able to use the aircraft's proven delta wing configuration in their new attempt.

The main aircraft will rely on a 60-degree sweep to maintain control of the expected high speed.

The power of choice

Internally, a single SNECMA "Atar" turbojet was chosen to power the type. Buried in the lower half of the fuselage, it features a straight intake exhaust configuration to allow as much uninterrupted air flow into the fuselage as possible.

This forces the aircraft to have a relatively low profile when viewed from the side. The air intake is located under the nose of the aircraft, roughly on the cockpit floor. The exhaust from the engine is routed through conventional jet pipes located aft of the fuselage below the stern.

More power

Over time, it was realized that the performance of the fuel-guzzling ATAR could be improved by adding a ramjet. Ramjets provide considerable output, but again require a specified minimum speed to start.

In the first decades of jet-powered flight, the pairing of turbojets and ramjets was common, at least for a short time, as engineers tried to refine their jet designs to the extreme. The two engines will share air flowing into the intakes to simplify the interior.

Ramjets will have their own variable nozzles to control (and restrict) airflow when needed.

Griffin walks around

The tail is covered by a vertical caudal fin that curves backwards. Because of the use of the delta plane form, there is no need for a traditional horizontal stabilizer surface - a large area delta takes this role. However, small ventral struts flank the rear fuselage near the engine exhausts.

The cockpit is placed at the nose in the usual way, but behind a very streamlined nose cone. The nose cone is hollowed out, but ready to accommodate military radars in the future. The design requires a pilot who sits under a largely unobstructed canopy that provides excellent forward and sideways visibility. The cockpit should be pressurized and have ejection seats. Also close to the nose of the aircraft are small front wings (canards) to add a greater degree of maneuverability - a feature of many Eurofighters today.

However, these planes are stationary (not mobile) and are only used to keep the plane's nose down at critical high speeds.

Fuel will be stored in the upper part of the deep hull. Fully retractable tricycle landing gear for ground operation.

Leave early

In the early stages of the project, the Type 1301 and Type 2301 gliders were used to test the effectiveness of certain elements of the Griffon program, including the delta wing arrangement. In the early days, before the merger of SFECMAS and SNCAN (which created Nord Aviation), "Griffon" was also known as "Cheetah" ("Guepard").

Griffin One

Combination engines in the game, should use a turbojet to achieve launch and fly at the speed needed for a ramjet to take over. While cruising, the aircraft can rely on two engines to achieve excellent intercept speeds.

The original Griffon prototype, the 1500-01 "Griffon I", flew only with an Atar 101F G2 afterburner turbojet. The first flight took place on September 20, 1955. This example achieves a top speed of Mach 1.17, but is well below the Mach 2 performance originally expected.

Later in its test life, it was converted into an Atar E-turbojet with 8,400 pounds of thrust.

Due to the French Air Force's requirement to operate on rough terrain, the first prototype was deliberately run on grass on June 19, 1956, resulting in a collapsed front wheel. It resumed flying after repairs in late July.

This example flew until April 16, 1957, and never had the intended ramjet engine installed. In the air, the Griffon I's control and handling are considered pretty good.

Griffin II

The Griffon II is the only other entry in the Griffon test program, the main difference being that this example has a ramjet installed. It was powered by an Atar 101 F-Series afterburner turbojet with 7,735 pounds of thrust, which was jetted through a new larger diameter port under the tail. An early computer system was also introduced to better regulate the fuel of the ramjet unit. The first flight of this Griffon variant was recorded on January 23, 1957.

In December of that year, the plane recorded a speed of Mach 1.85 and was fast approaching the required Mach 2 speed envelope. Mach 2 was finally reached in October 1958, but it was soon discovered that the structure of the aircraft limited the top speed to Mach 2. 1. The aircraft was also exhibited at the 1959 Paris Air Show.

End of line

Interest in the Mach 2 Griffon began to wane towards the end of the century, and so did funding for the project. The show officially ended on June 5, 1961, when the parties went their separate ways.

In total, the Griffon prototype made approximately 337 flights and advanced the concepts and theories of high-speed flight for future designs. Nord is also working on a Mach 3 Griffon, dubbed the "Griffon III" or "Super Griffon," but that's just ending as a study.

It will be powered by a "Super Atar" engine with 19,850 pounds of thrust.

The second prototype is kept today (2018) at the Musee de l'Air et de l'Espace at Le Bourget Airport near Paris.