Sud-Ouest Aviation (SNCASO) S.O. 4050 Vautour IIB: French jet-powered bomber and attack aircraft

The Sud Aviation Vautour was a jet-propelled mid-sized combat aircraft, typically employed as a bomber and attack aircraft, as well as having some usage as an interceptor. In terms of its basic configuration, it had a shoulder-wing monoplane configuration, furnished with a 35° swept wing and a “flying” tail.

Power was provided by a pair of SNECMA Atar 101 turbojet engines, which were carried in pods located underneath the wings. The Vautour was equipped with a bicycle-type landing gear configuration in which the main units were located upon the underside of the fore and aft fuselage, these were augmented by smaller stabilizing gear set into bottom of the engine pods.

The internal space of the central fuselage was largely dedicated to a large 5.0 meter (16 ft 5 in) weapons bay, along with substantial internal fuel tankage.

Old wings (Toulouse)

Sud Aviation was a French state-owned aircraft manufacturer, originating from the merger of Sud-Est (SNCASE, or Société nationale des constructions aéronautiques du sud-est) and Sud-Ouest (SNCASO or Société nationale des constructions aéronautiques du sud-ouest) on 1 March 1957. Both companies had been formed from smaller privately owned corporations that had been nationalized into six regional design and manufacturing pools just prior to the Second World War.

The company became a major manufacturer of helicopters, designing and producing several types which went on to be built in large numbers, including the Alouette II (the first production helicopter powered by a gas turbine engine; first flight in 1955), the Puma (1965) and Gazelle (1967).

During 1967, an agreement between the British and French governments arranged for joint production and procurement of the Puma and Gazelle, together with the British Westland Lynx.

Sud Aviation also developed the Caravelle, the first jet-powered passenger airliners for the short-medium range market.

During 1970, Sud Aviation merged with both Nord Aviation and Société d’études et de réalisation d’engins balistiques (SÉREB) to form the Aérospatiale company. Aérospatiale formed several large-scale international consortia, for example with British Aerospace and Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) to form Airbus; the company ultimately merged into the European aerospace conglomerate EADS in 2000. During January 2014, EADS was reorganised as the Airbus Group.

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