Bréguet 960 Vultur

The Bréguet Br.960 Vultur was a French prototype carrier-based attack aircraft that first flew on 3 August 1951. Only two examples were built, but the work done on them later proved useful in the development of the Bréguet 1050 Alizé anti-submarine warfare aircraft.

Vultur
Role Ground-attack aircraft
Manufacturer Bréguet Aviation
First flight 3 August 1951
Number built 2
Developed into Bréguet 1050 Alizé

Design and development

The Vultur was a mixed-power design, combining an Armstrong Siddeley Mamba turboprop in the nose with a Rolls-Royce Nene turbojet in the tail. It was a low-wing aircraft, with the wing featuring a swept leading edge and a straight trailing edge, folding at the middle. The aircraft had tricycle landing gear, with the main gear hinged in the wings just inside the wing fold and retracting towards the fuselage, the nose gear retracting backwards.

The Vultur accommodated a pilot and copilot sitting side by side in a framed canopy. A typical payload was a single 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) bomb and eight rockets. It was fitted with radar in a pod on the right wingtip, balanced by a fuel tank on the left wingtip. A large search radar could also be attached under the fuselage.

When the Aéronavale lost interest in a turboprop attack aircraft, but was keen to purchase a new anti-submarine warfare platform, Bréguet modified the second prototype as a demonstrator. Now known as the Bréguet Br.965 Épaulard ("Killer Whale"), this aircraft was the immediate forerunner of the Bréguet Alizé.

Specifications (Br.960, second prototype)

Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1953–54[1]

General characteristics

  • Crew: two
  • Length: 15.35 m (50 ft 4 in)
  • Wingspan: 18.7 m (61 ft 4 in)
  • Height: 5.17 m (17 ft 0 in)
  • Wing area: 36.6 m2 (394 sq ft)
  • Max takeoff weight: 9,800 kg (21,605 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Armstrong Siddeley A.S.Ma.3 Mamba turboprop, 985 kW (1,321 hp)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce Nene 103 turbojet, 22.3 kN (5,000 lbf) thrust

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 900 km/h (560 mph, 490 kn) turboprop and jet
  • Maximum Speed: 400 km/h (249 mph) on turboprop power only
  • Endurance: 4 hr 30 min (turboprop only)
  • Service ceiling: 13,000 m (43,000 ft)

Armament

  • Bombs and rockets carried underwing

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

  • TB3F Guardian

Notes
  1. Bridgman 1953, pp. 127–128.

References
  • Bridgman, Leonard. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1953–54. London: Jane's All The World's Aircraft Publishing Ltd, 1953.

The initial version of this article was based on a public domain article from Greg Goebel's Vectorsite.

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