Aviation Naval Warfare Land Systems Small Arms By Flag By Year By Tag

SNECMA C.450 Coleoptere

1959 COLD WAR X-PLANE

History of the SNECMA C. 450 Coleoptere

The French aviation industry has always been at the forefront of aviation, as evidenced by the victorious designs in World War I (1914-1918) and revolutionary entries during World War II This took place during the interwar period to World War II (1939-1945). Although derailed by the German invasion and subsequent victory in 1940, the industry continued to grow, albeit with limited speed. After the war, a major rebuilding effort in the war-torn country included revitalizing the aviation sector, which produced some highly successful combat platforms that served globally throughout the Cold War.

The pinnacle of French fighter design later became the extraordinary Dassault Rafale multirole fighter.

Back in the 1950s, against the backdrop of the very real threat of a Soviet invasion of Europe, France, along with other leading aviation powers, delved into the world of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, largely due to the ever-increasing efficiency of turbojet technology , performance and reliability. The concept behind the technology has to do with fast-reaction interceptors that do not require the use of traditional airfield barrels or associated facilities.

Instead, these "tail-sitting" fighters remain on standby and respond to incoming threats on short notice.

For the French, the result of this period of work was the SNECMA C. 450 "Coleoptere" - a prototype VTOL aircraft, only one of which was completed and tested.

Coleoptera was formerly SNECMA C. 400 "Volant", which was essentially a series of test beds. These "aircraft" are basically cylindrical, with turbojet engines, and a pilot's cockpit is added on top.

The design sits on its "tail" and has four legs with casters that allow limited ground movement and support. The whole arrangement looks functional, but for research purposes it is contemporary.

Based on the German wartime BMW 003 turbojet, the in-game SNECMA "Atar" engine is a larger, and therefore more powerful, version of the enemy design. In fact, the name "Atar" comes from the factory in Reichenbach, Germany - "ATelier Aeronatiques de Reichenbach".

Like the Americans and Soviets, the French benefited from the postwar world having former German aerospace engineers working for them.

The

Coleoptere looks like something out of a 1950s sci-fi magazine, and certainly has a unique look: the fuselage emerges from an oversized cylindrical shroud that houses the turbojet. Like the C. 400, the C. 450 ends with four-wheel landing gear legs extending from a smaller triangular vertical tail. The cylinder - technically known as a "ring wing" (essentially a continuous, wrapping surface) - is smooth around its barrel from which the fuselage protrudes to form a single the front of the cockpit. The pilot sits on an ejection seat that is angled relative to the plane's horizontal axis - the crew traditionally sits when the plane is stationary (due to the tailstock nature of the design) and nose up in level flight.

The C. 450 is designed to take off and land vertically as a VTOL aircraft, while general flight will take place in a conventional forward direction - all based on a single Atar turbojet.

While the Atar EV (101E) axial turbojet engine is from SNECMA, the entire fuselage shape was designed by Nord Aviation experts. The engine delivers up to 8,200 pounds of thrust. Structural dimensions include a length of 26.3 feet and a span of 14.9 feet. The diameter of the aircraft reached 10.5 feet.

Inhalation of the air-breathing turbojet is achieved through two air intakes located next to the forward fuselage near the cockpit.

Work on the Volant technology demonstrator began in 1956, and the C. 450 Coleoptere achieved a powered takeoff in 1958, followed by its real maiden flight on May 6, 1959. Eight flights with the C. 450 by test pilot Aguste Morel - the inherent flaws in the design approach quickly become apparent (i.e. in the control/handling). During the test, the aircraft reached a record altitude of just 2,625 feet, and on the ninth flight, which was supposed to transition into a pseudo-level flight phase, the aircraft became uncontrollable - the test pilot opted to eject (safely, albeit injured). 492 feet.

This resulted in the destruction of the only airframe completed for the project. The proposed second flying airframe never materialized.