SNCASE S.E.212 (Durandal)

History of SNCASE SE 212 (Durandal)

With the establishment of NATO in April 1949, various military instruments needed to be standardized among its members. These include the types of aircraft that would play a role in Europe's war with the Soviet Union. Thus, in 1953, the authorities demanded the use of standardized light fighter-bombers to store member states' stockpiles and deter Soviet bombers.

One result of this move - won by the Italian Fiat G.91 in 1958 - was the eventual cancellation of the French-made SNCASE (Sud-Est) SE. The 212 "Durandal" eventually became the intended dedicated interceptor.

One of the key qualities of Durandal is the hybrid plant approach, which relies primarily on turbojets assisted by rocket engines to achieve the desired speed. The overall design - developed from work begun by the French as early as 1951 - featured a small surface, low-mounted main aircraft with a 60-degree sweep line. The main aircraft is in a triangular configuration, negating the use of traditional horizontal stabilizers. The rear wing consists of a triangular rear wing, under which the exhaust ring of the engine is attached.

The cockpit was kept forward amidships, the nose section was sloping slightly downwards. The engine is buried in the fuselage mass and is drawn in through a circular air intake in the nose. Propulsion is provided by a SNECMA Atar 101F afterburner engine with 8,377 pounds of thrust. The rocket unit is a SEPR 75 engine that provides 1,653 pounds of its own thrust.

The landing gear is a fully retractable conventional tricycle arrangement. Air brakes are mounted in pairs on either side of the rear of the fuselage and pop up when needed.

As an interceptor, it can be seen that the SE. 212 will be equipped with an R.052 or AA. 20 air-to-air missiles (along the centerline of the fuselage).

Alternatively, the airframe could be equipped with a more conventional gun (2 x 30mm DEFA system) and even carry 24 x 68mm SNEB air-to-air missiles for intercepting bombers.

French authorities are interested in SE. The 212 was enough to order two prototypes, the first of which was flown on April 20, 1956 - although there was no scheduled missile installation.

The aircraft was not flown with working rocket engines until December 19 of that year, when the original Atar 101F turbojets were replaced by the Atar 101G series that provided 9,700 pounds of thrust. The second prototype flew for the first time on March 30, 1957, and was shown at the 1957 Paris Air Show.

During testing that began in April 1956, the pair recorded speeds approaching 900 miles per hourover Mach 1.0to 1,036 miles per hour or 38,000-39,000 feet with the rocket engine on. About Mach 1.57.

Despite these results, when the program ended in 1958, the Durandal program disappeared from history and only two test cars were completed. Many of the "hybrid unit" fighter developments of the time ended up being prototypes and nothing more - a concept that also aroused great interest in the Americans.

Specification

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