The Dassault Super Mystère was a single-seat, jet fighter-bomber in service with the French Air Force during the Cold War. It was a very reliable and maneuverable aircraft, whose configuration and shape resembled the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19. It was the first French aircraft that could fly at sustained supersonic speeds flying level (parallel to the ground). Despite its relatively small size, it could carry a wide range of weaponry, having a maximum bomb-load of 2,750 kg. Thus, it was a very versatile combat aircraft and inexpensive and easy to maintain, with a low gasoline consumption rate. A total of 180 fighter-bombers were built by Dassault.
The prototype of the Super Mystère (B.1) performed its maiden flight on March 2, 1955, at Melun-Villaroche. It was flown by test pilot Paul Boudier. The next day, Paul Boudier broke Mach 1, flying at low level. It was the first aircraft in Western Europe to be capable of sustained level flight above Mach 1. Being a further development of the Mystère IV fighter-bomber, this prototype was powered by one Rolls-Royce Avon RA 7 turbojet engine. However, this power plant would later be upgraded to a SNECMA Atar 101G machine. The Super Mystère was introduced into service in 1957 and it would be phased out in 1977 after a twenty-year long career. It was exported to Israel and Honduras. It saw combat action in the Algerian War of Independence (used by the French Air Force), the Six Day War and in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, carrying out ground-attack missions.
Technical Description
The Dassault Super Mystere was a single-seat, single-engine monoplane of all-metal construction. It was fitted with cantilever, swept wing, which was mounted low on the fuselage. The outer portion of wing leading edge had a fixed slat that curved down in a slight arch. The tail assembly horizontal plane was swept at the same angle of wing sweep (at 45°) and it was mounted on lower portion of vertical fin. The engine had only one air intake and it was located in the nose of fuselage. The aircraft was equipped with a tricycle landing gear.
Specifications
Type: fighter-bomber
Length: 14.13 m (46 feet, 4 inches)
Wing Span: 10.51 m (34 feet, 6 inches)
Wing Area: 32 m2 (340 square feet)
Height: 4.6 m (15 feet, 1 inch)
Power Plant: one 9,900-lb-thrust, SNECMA Atar 101G-2 turbojet engine, with afterburner.
Maximum Speed: Mach 1.12 (1,195 km/h = 743 mph)
Combat Radius: 870 km (540 miles)
Range: 1,740 km (1,081 miles)
Service Ceiling: 17,000 m (56,000 feet)
Rate of Climb: 89 m/s
Crew: 1
Armament: two 30-mm DEFA-552 cannons; two Rafael Shafrir air-to-air missiles; two AS-30 air-to-ground missiles or 2,750-kg of bombs.
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| Above, the Supere Mystere parked on the tarmac of a French airbase in the 1970s. Notice its front profile, with its air intake in nose, is almost identical to the MiG-19 aircraft. |
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| The belly of the prototype B.1 during a pass over at low altitude. |
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| The varied types of weapons it could carry was impressive; from air-to-air missiles to smart bombs. |
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| The Super Mystere in flight in the early 1960s |