The Dassault MD.452 Mystère is a 1950s French fighter-bomber.
After the success of the Ouragan, Dassault was working on a more advanced machine which would take to the air in early 1951 as the MD.452 Mystère I.
The first prototype Mystère I was essentially an Ouragan with a 30-degree swept wing and modified tail surfaces.
Two further prototypes followed, powered by the Rolls-Royce Tay 250 centrifugal-flow turbojet, an improved version of the Rolls-Royce Nene, built under license by Hispano-Suiza, and rated at 28.0 kN (6,300 lbf) thrust.
These three Mystère I prototypes led to two Mystère IIA prototypes, powered by the Tay and armed with four 20 mm (0.787 in) Hispano cannon; and then four Mystère IIB prototypes, which traded the four 20 mm (0.787 in) cannon for two 30 mm (1.181 in) DEFA revolver-type cannon.
A Mystère IIA was the first French aircraft to break Mach 1 in controlled flight (in a dive), on 28 October 1951.
The eleven preproduction machines that followed were designated Mystère IIC, nine of which were fitted with the SNECMA Atar 101C axial-flow turbojet, rated at 24.5 kN (5,500 lbf) thrust, while two were experimentally fitted with the afterburning Atar 101F, with an afterburning thrust of 37.3 kN (8,400 lbf).
Variants
MD 452 Mystère I
The first of three prototypes was essentially an Ouragan with a 30-degree swept wing and modified tail surfaces.
Two further prototypes followed, powered by the 28.0 kN (6,300 lbf) Rolls-Royce Tay 250 centrifugal-flow turbojet.
MD 452 Mystère IIA
Two prototypes powered by the RR Tay and armed with four Hispano 20 mm cannon.
MD 452 Mystère IIB
Four IIB prototypes traded the four 20 mm (0.787 in) cannon for two 30 mm (1.181 in) DEFA cannon
MD 452 Mystère IIC
The standard production aircraft for the French Air Force, with 150 delivered from June 1954.
Eleven preproduction IICs were used for operational evaluation and trials with SNECMA Atar 101C axial-flow turbojet and the afterburning Atar 101F.
MD 453 Mystère IIIN
A single Mystère prototype built with lateral intakes and a two-seat cockpit, to continue development of the MD 451 Aladin initiated with the MD 450-30-L modified Ouragan.
First flown on 18 July 1952 the sole IIIN was never fitted with a radar and was used for ejection seat trials once development of the MD 451 was abandoned.
The second and third prototypes were cancelled before completion.
