Sud-Ouest SO 6000 Triton

History

After the end of World War II in 1945, rebuilding the French aviation industry was an uphill battle. His first foray into the jet world was with the Sud-Ouest SO 6000 "Triton", a two-seater experimental trainer platform.

The plane was successful as a test and data-gathering platform, and helped spark interest in the subject in France, even as the country had to catch up with what British, American and Soviet rivals had already done.

SO 6000 was secretly built in German-occupied France in 1943. The original approach employed a pressurized metal-skinned monoplane powered by a single turbojet engine. The turbojet will be sucked in through a wide-mouth intake assembly at the front of the aircraft.

Unlike other jets of the early postwar period, the French design offered two interesting design qualities - its engines were hidden in the fuselage (as opposed to an underbuilt nacelle) and two crew members sat side by side . The tricycle landing gear was also integrated into the fuselage, and ejection seats were planned.

Triton continued testing many years later, and then played its intended role as a trainer for a new generation of French pilots - jet fighter pilots. The platform has proven valuable in familiarizing pilots with the nuances and speeds of jet operation, especially compared to the fastest propeller-driven fighter jets they're used to.

While the SO 6000 Triton wasn't a stunning technical achievement compared to British and American advancements, it still played an excellent role in Air France - especially in the 1950s and 1960s, when the Soviet Union now Relieved to see Nazi Germany as a global threat to the world.

All six SO 6000 aircraft completed. The Prototype 01 was the first French aircraft to use a jet engine, but it ended its career after completing just eight flights before it was finally retired in 1947. The prototype 02 never flew because it was awaiting the original French turbojet, which would have been impossible. Prototype 03 was fitted with a powered ejection seat (unlike the previous two prototypes) but only flew twice.

Prototype 04 managed the most impactful flying career of 189 flights. The Type 05 prototype flew just eight times before being retired, while the Type 06 prototype never surpassed its intended static test bed role.

The Type 03 prototype has survived as a protected museum exhibit at the Musee de 'l Air et de l'Espace at Le Bourget Airport in Paris. The Triton reached a top speed of 593 miles per hour and a service ceiling of 39,375 feet during its flight life.

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