Dassault MD.450 Ouragan

The Avions Marcel Dassault's Ouragan fighter is a historically significant aircraft since it was the 1st mass-produced jet of French design.
In 1947, Dassault's engineering and design department, informed of problems posed by the conception of the only interceptor then in study for Armée de l'Air, the SO.6020 Espadon, started the study of an aircraft inspired by the american F.84 Thunderjet. Following Marcel Dassault's advocates, the engeneering department imagine an airfarme as simple as possible, re-using and taking advantage of standards and the experience acquired on Bloch family fighters of years 1936-1940, in order to obtain a small light aircraft, cheap and such efficient as allowed by the engine .
The slightly sweeptback wing, is placed in the bottom of fuselage in order to allow the setting up of the gear retraction. The fuselage, entirely of circular section, is designed from a Pitot front air intake; it support the empennages and 4 Hispano 20 mm guns (placed behind the pilot), contain a double air intake flanking the cockpit, fuel tanks and the location of Nene turbojet. The cockpit is pressurized because the plane must go up with 12000 m. The manufacturing of MD450-01 prototype begins on april 7, 1948, only 6 months after the 1st drawing and tooks its first flight on february 28, 1949 in Melun-Villaroche, flyed by Kostia Rozanoff ; 2 other prototypes followed on june 2 and july 20. In total 13 preproduction aircrafts were built (# 1 to 3 and 5 to 14), some assigned to special tests : # 3 with afterburning, # 7 with Rolls-Royce Tay turbojet of 2600 kg thrust, # 8 with camera, # 11 with lateral air intake and armed with two 30 mm guns, # 13 and 14 with SNECMA Atar turbojet.



General
Crew One
Country of Origin France

Powerplant
Number Of Engines One
Powerplant type Hispano-Suiza Nene 104B single-shaft turbojet
Max Power Rating 2,300kg (5,070lb)

Dimensions
Length 10.74m (35ft 3in)
Height 4.15m (13ft 7in)
Wingspan 13.20m (43ft 2in)

Weights
Empty Weight 4,150kg (9,150lb)
Max Take-off Weight 6,800kg (14,991lb)

Performance
Max Speed At Cruising Level 508kt (940km/h; 584mph)
Maximum Range 540nm (1,000km; 620mi)
Initial Climb Rate 7,874ft (2,400m) per minute
Service Ceiling Ceiling: 14700 m

Armament
Description Four 20mm Hispano 404 cannons; underwing load of two 500kg (1,100lb) bombs or 16 rockets


Thinus Pretorius

iti02763@mweb.co.za
November 2004