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Nord 1601

1950 COLD WAR X-PLANE

History

After the end of World War II in 1945, the French aviation industry faced a long and arduous journey to recover from the devastation caused by the German invasion and subsequent harsh occupation. Some French aircraft and related aviation projects continued in secrecy, but most important developments were blocked until liberation could be achieved.

There were some noteworthy initiatives in the postwar years that brought Air France back to life through "experiments" collecting research like the Nord 1601.

Nord Aviation dates back to 1944 with its Nord 1000 'Pingouin' liaison aircraft. After the official end of the war and the German occupation, various travel aircraft, light trainers and test aircraft came into being. To keep up with British, American and Soviet developments, plans for a single-seat, twin-engine, jet fighter, known as the Nord 1600, were eventually drawn up, but there were no resulting tests other than a useful wind tunnel.

This paved the way for the Nord 1601 - a pure research airframe.

Nord engineers opted for a centralized, streamlined nacelle with outboard engine nacelles suspended below the wing roots and near the sides of the fuselage. The cockpit sits behind a short nose cone assembly and is supported by a raised fuselage spine. Seating is for two under a two-part canopy with good views of the surrounding area.

The tail includes a vertical tail with a traditional horizontal plane along the fuselage. The engine nacelles are long and cylindrical, located under the wings and end over the trailing edge of the main wing. The wings themselves are particularly important because they have a fairly large sweep (33 degrees) for high-speed flight, and also have leading edge slats with flaps on their trailing edges. The landing gear is a retractable tricycle design with very wide tracks - the front struts are stowed under the nose, while the main struts disappear under the wings outside the engine nacelles.

Metal was used on the fuselage and wings for a truly modern approach, and the heavy use of hybrids clearly contributed to the inherent aerodynamic efficiency qualities. The overall wingspan of the aircraft is 40.10 feet, 12 feet high and 38.10 feet long.

Empty weight is listed at 10,385 lbs and maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) is 14,770 lbs.

Due to the constraints of French industry at the time, the French design made some concessions - the most important of which was the introduction of British turbojets to power the 1601. This comes down to 2 x Rolls-Royce Derwent 5 series - each with 4,000 lbf, the engines are housed in separate nacelles that take in air at the front and exhaust through circular nozzles at the rear. Engineers are sure the jet wash under the rear wing is clear.

Another British product used in the 1601 was the Martin Baker ejection seat, designed to be used as a precaution in the event of a problem in the air.

The Nord 1601 made its first flight on 24 January 1950 (civil registration number "F-WFKK"). It was used to test the aerodynamics, and the data collected from the program proved very useful. The plane eventually had a top speed of 622 mph and a service ceiling of up to 39,370 feet.

A lot of attention has been paid to the swept wing layout, engine performance, diving practice, etc. Although the 1601 did not develop into a viable military fighter, it was an invaluable asset to the resurgent French aviation industry, and excellent products were added in the years that followed.

The Nord 1610 was built in only one completed, airworthy example. After completing the testing phase, it was used as a target and destroyed by the end of 1950 - a rather short service life for such an important research aircraft.