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Dassault Mystère IV

The Dassault MD.454 Mystère IV is a 1950s French fighter-bomber aircraft, the first transonic aircraft to enter service with the French Air Force.

It was used in large-scale combat in the Israeli Air Force during the 1967 Six Day War.

The Mystère IV was an evolutionary development of the Mystère II aircraft.

Although bearing an external resemblance to the earlier aircraft, the Mystère IV was in fact a new design with aerodynamic improvements for supersonic flight.

The prototype first flew on 28 September 1952, and the aircraft entered service in April 1953.

The first 50 Mystere IVA production aircraft were powered by British Rolls-Royce Tay turbojets, while the remainder had the French-built Hispano-Suiza Verdon 350 version of that engine.

Variants

Mystère IV

Prototype powered by a Rolls-Royce Tay 250 engine

Mystère IVA

Production fighter-bomber, 421 built, first 50 with the Rolls-Royce Tay 250 the remaining 371 with a French derivative of the Tay, the Hispano-Suiza Verdon.

Mystère IVB

In addition to production Mystère IVA, Dassault developed an upgraded Mystère IVB with either Rolls-Royce Avon (first two prototypes) or SNECMA Atar 101 (third prototype) afterburning engine and a radar ranging gunsight.

Six pre-production aircraft were built but the project was abandoned in favour of the promising Super Mystère.

Mystère IVN

Dassault also proposed a two-seat all-weather interceptor version called Mystère IVN.

The aircraft was equipped with the AN/APG-33 radar in an arrangement similar to North American F-86D Sabre Dog, powered by a Rolls-Royce Avon turbojet, and armed with 55× 68 mm Matra rockets in a retractable belly tray.

The first prototype flew on 19 July 1954.

AdA eventually decided to purchase Sud Aviation Vautour and F-86K Sabre for the interceptor role but the Mystère IVN prototype continued to fly for several years as a testbed for radar equipment.

Specifications

Mystère IVA

Crew

1

Length

12.89 m (42 ft 3 in)

Wingspan

11.12 m (36 ft 6 in)

Height

4.6 m (15 ft 1 in)

Wing area

32.06 m2 (345.1 sq ft)

Empty weight

5,860 kg (12,919 lb)

Gross weight

8,510 kg (18,761 lb)

Max take-off weight

9,500 kg (20,944 lb)

Powerplant

1 × Hispano-Suiza Verdon 350 turbojet engine, 34.32 kN (7,720 lbf) thrust

Performance

Maximum speed

1,110 km/h (690 mph, 600 kn) at sea level

Range

915 km (569 mi, 494 nmi) without external tanks

2,280 km (1,420 mi; 1,230 nmi) with external tanks

Service ceiling

15,000 m (49,000 ft)

Rate of climb

40 m/s (7,900 ft/min)

Armament

Guns

2× 30 mm (1.18 in) DEFA cannons with 150 rounds per gun

Rockets

55 air-to-air rockets in retractable pack

Bombs

1,000 kg (2,200 lb) of payload on four external hardpoints, including a variety of bombs, rockets or drop tanks.

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