Breguet Br.1001 (Taon)

Breguet. 1001 (Taon) History

NATO was formed in 1949 primarily to counter the growing threat from the Soviet Union in Europe and elsewhere. Due to the diversity of countries in its ranks, it is believed that if the Cold War becomes "hot", a common military equipment is needed - especially for its European players.

Thus, the "Light Strike Fighter" was created to promote a "joint" economic light strike fighter for use by major European NATO players. The Breguet Br. 1001 "Taon" was one of the contestants in the crowded field - although both the initiative and the plane were eventually given up before the end.

The official initiative appeared in 1953, and a large number of aircraft manufacturers were brought in to execute the program. These include Breguet, a French company founded by Louis-Charles Breguet in 1911 on the eve of World War I. With an excellent track record of delivering peacetime and wartime aircraft of all sizes and weights, the company - which has been contracted to build three prototypes for the new program - appears to be in a good position to pick a winner for delivery to NATO.

The general concept behind a light strike fighter is ease of use and cost-effectiveness - it could be easily used by all NATO players if needed. The company began downsizing its existing Br. 1100 from a twin-engine configuration to a single-engine configuration, which helped reduce complexity and cost. The original "paper" design changed significantly before the physical specimen: the stout airframe of the first iteration eventually gave way to a sleeker, more modern and aerodynamically refined shape in keeping with 1950s fighter jet thinking , while the single-blade empennage was carried over from the original. The wings of the main aircraft, although swept in both earlier and later designs, were made slimmer and raised to almost shoulder height in the latter.

These elements (with a 43-degree sweep) also add slats and trailing edge flaps for improved control. Retaining the nose behind the short nose cone assembly, the cockpit is fully armored to resist ground fire and features a Martin-Baker ejection seat system.

For ground operations, a conventional (albeit enhanced for landing and take-off on rough ground) tricycle undercarriage will be provided.

Construction began in November 1956, and the completed Br. 1001 prototype surfaced for maiden flight on July 25, 1957, with the instrument panel centered.

A second aircraft was added to the development program in time for its maiden flight on January 18, 1958 - this aircraft was further modified with a NATO-style instrument panel and slightly elongated fuselage, among other more subtle improvements.

The finished aircraft has a barrel length of 38.3 feet, a wingspan of 22.3 feet, and a height of 12.1 feet. Gross weight reaches 11,025 lbs. Power came from a Bristol Siddeley "Orpheus" B. or 3-seater turbojet with 4,850 pounds of thrust, propelling the prototype to a record speed of 742 miles per hour.

Special attention is paid to general maintenance by the ground crew - the unit can be replaced in less than an hour of work. Refueling will be done in a few minutes.

The proposed standard stationary armament will become either a 4 x 12.7mm Colt-Browning Heavy Machine Gun (HMG) or a 2 x 30mm Autocannon. Four hardpoints, two on each primary aircraft member, will support air-to-air missiles, rocket pods and conventionally dropped bombs to perform the strike portion of their intended role.

Taon was joined by healthy and stable players who fit NATO requirements - but in the end no one filled the role as NATO completely abandoned their "common" need for European strike fighters. The failed designs were the Italian Aerfer "Ariete", the French Dassault Etendard VI, the Italian FIAT G. 91, the American Northrop Grumman F-5 "Tiger" and the French Sud-Ouest "Baroudeur" (all found elsewhere on this page) place description).

Still, Taon set an international land speed record on April 25, 1958, when it flew at 650.36 miles per hour at an altitude of 25,000 feet. With the compact aircraft reaching speeds of 667.98 mph, the second record flight proved to the world that the French aviation industry has fully recovered from the dark days of World War II (1939-1945).

In addition to the Br. 1001 prototype, there was the Br. 1002, which was proposed as a missile carrier for air-to-air missiles and as a point defense interceptor. The Br. 1003M is a naval variant of the Br. 1001 - equipped with Orpheus B. Or. 12 turbojets - with enlarged wings. The production version of the Br. 1001 was called the Br. 1004 - This is also a Bristol Siddeley Orpheus B. or 12 series turbojet.

All the time and effort went into Br. However, the ROI of the 1001 Taon program is low. A second prototype entered the collection of the Musee de l'Air, although the first was stripped of all usefulness and scrapped.

Specification

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Performance

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Changes