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Dassault MD.454 Mystere IV

Managing Director of Dassault. 454 Mysterious History IV

The 1954 Dassault Mystere was a direct evolution of the early 1952 swept-wing Uragan jet fighter, but it was not an absolute success and was prone to structural failure. As a result, only 171 were built, and these aircraft were in service with the French Air Force only in the air.

More work needed to be done to bring the swept-wing fighter to a better standard, which led to the MD. The 454 Mystere IV was an improved version of the series, much improved and more successful than its predecessor.

Mysterious IV Evolution

Mystere IV is more of an extension of the Mystere II brand than Mystere IIC up to the operational service. Engineers worked within the established framework of Mystere II but were able to make various structural improvements based on lessons learned from the original project.

The result was the prototype, which, despite its origins in the Mystere II, was essentially an entirely new aircraft, which made its maiden flight on September 28, 1952. The aircraft was quickly brought to market, and was introduced as early as April 1953 - the original MD.

The 452 Mystere arrived in 1954 and was soon relegated to a training role, eventually serving from the French Air Force.

Mysterious IV Production

Mystere IV production spanned from 1953 to 1958, with 432 examples (including prototypes) produced. The first 50 airframes were fitted with Rolls-Royce "Tay" turbojets, while the remaining batches were fitted with locally produced Hispano-Suiza "Verdon 350" turbojets, a licensed form of Tay in the UK.

Mystery Journey IV

In form and function, the Mystere IV maintains its Mystere origins, with a round nose air intake, low-positioned swept-wing main aircraft and retractable tricycle landing gear. The cockpit is centered forward of the main aircraft and behind the nose air intake. The tail consists of a single tail with a mid-mounted aircraft. Jet engines typically exhaust under the tail section.

The Verdon engine produces 7,716 pounds of thrust, propelling the aircraft to a speed of 690 mph, an altitude of 49,200 feet and a range of 570 miles. The rate of climb is 7,875 feet per minute.

Equipped with 2 x 30mm DEFA guns onboard to support up to 55 air-to-air missiles in a retractable belly bag (just below the cockpit floor). External throwing weapons of up to 2,200 lbs are also provided via four hardpoints. A drop tank can be installed to increase the operating range.

Mystere IV in action

The French Air Force equipped about six squadrons with new fighter-bombers, some of which played a role in the 1956 Suez Crisis. The service used the series until the 1980s, before the series was phased out in favor of more modern alternatives.

The strength of the French Air Force's Mystere IV reached 241 copies.

The newly formed State of Israel abandoned plans to buy the Mystere IIC in favor of the vastly improved Mystere IV when it committed to 24 in 1955. First delivered in 1956, these became the first swept wing designs in the country. Later that year, a follow-up order increased the fleet strength by 36 units. The planes were also used against Egypt's enemy during the Suez Crisis, where they conducted air-to-air and air-to-ground sorties, and performed against the vaunted Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 jet fighter, a contemporary of the Mystere Excellent international IC.

The Israelis lost one Mystere IV to 147 enemy aircraft and ground fire.

Israel's Mystere iV was a soldier before serving on the front lines in 1971. Israel Mystere IV has a strength of 110.

India was the only other significant operator of Mystere IV, with a total of 110 prototypes delivered. These were purchased in 1957 and fought in the 1965 war with neighboring Pakistan (Indo-Pakistani war, the first of two major confrontations between the two parties).

The series excels in warfare, managing air and ground lethality. After the conflict, the Mystere IV fleet was withdrawn in 1973 - but not before its role in the 1971 Indo-Pakistani war.

Variations

The Mystere IV program includes a prototype and subsequent production aircraft, the 421 Mystere IVA. The Mystere IVB is the proposed model and can be equipped with either the Rolls-Royce Avon turbojet or the in-house developed SNECMA Atar 101 series.

A radar range gun was also installed, and six examples were built in pre-production form. However, the product was not adopted as the French Air Force instead focused on the Super Mystere (detailed elsewhere on this site).

Mystere IVN is a two-seat night fighter development of the proposed IV. This is carrying an American AN/APG-33 radar and powered by a Rolls-Royce Avon, while armed with a retractable 55x68mm Matra.

It was not selected for further development when it flew on July 19, 1954, as other mounts arose to fill the role of night fighter.