Dassault – Breguet Super Étendard

The Dassault-Breguet Super Étendard is a French carrier-borne strike fighter aircraft designed for service with the French Navy.

The aircraft is an advanced development of the Étendard IVM, which it replaced.

The Super Étendard first flew in October 1974 and entered French service in June 1978.

French Super Étendards have served in several conflicts such as the Kosovo war, the war in Afghanistan and the military intervention in Libya.

The Super Étendard was also operated by Iraq and Argentina, which both deployed the aircraft during wartime.

Argentina’s use of the Super Étendard and the Exocet missile during the 1982 Falklands War led to the aircraft gaining considerable popular recognition.

The Super Étendard was used by Iraq to attack oil tankers and merchant shipping in the Persian Gulf during the Iraq-Iran War.

Specifications

Crew

1

Length

14.31 m (46 ft 11 in)

Wingspan

9.6 m (31 ft 6 in)

Height

3.86 m (12 ft 8 in)

Wing area

28.4 m2 (306 sq ft)

Empty weight

6,500 kg (14,330 lb)

Max take-off weight

12,000 kg (26,455 lb)

Powerplant

1 × Snecma Atar 8K-50 turbojet, 49 kN (11,000 lbf) thrust

Performance

Maximum speed

1,205 km/h (749 mph, 651 kn)

Range

1,820 km (1,130 mi, 980 nmi)

Combat range

850 km (530 mi, 460 nmi) with one AM39 Exocet missile on one wing pylon and one drop tank on opposite pylon, hi-lo-hi profile

Service ceiling

13,700 m (44,900 ft)

Rate of climb

100 m/s (20,000 ft/min)

Wing loading

423 kg/m2 (87 lb/sq ft)

Thrust/weight

0.42

Armament

Guns

2× 30 mm (1.18 in) DEFA 552 cannons with 125 rounds per gun

Hardpoints

4× underwing and 2× under-fuselage with a capacity of 2,100 kg (4,600 lb) maximum,

Rockets

4× Matra rocket pods with 18× SNEB 68 mm rockets each

Missiles

1× AM-39 Exocet Anti-shipping missile

Or

1× Air-Sol Moyenne Portée nuclear armed missile

Or

2× AS-30L

Or

2× Matra Magic Air-to-air missile

Bombs

Conventional unguided or laser-guided bombs, provision for 1 × AN-52 free-fall nuclear bomb, provision for “buddy” air refuelling pod.