Nord Noratlas

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Nord Noratlas

Nord N-2501 in flight over Orleans AFB
Type	Military Transport
Manufacturer	Nord Aviation
Designed by	Jean Calvy
Maiden flight	1949-09-10
Introduced	1953-06-12
Retired	1989, France
Status	Retired
Primary user	France, Germany, Greece, Israel
Number built	425

The Nord Noratlas was a 1950s French military transport aircraft intended to replace the older types in service at the end of World War II.

1 Development
2 Operational History
3 Variants
4 Former Operators
5 Specifications (Nord N-2501)
6 See also

[edit] Development

At the end of World War II, the French Armée de l'Air was left with two primary transport aircraft: the Junkers Ju 52 and the Douglas C-47. While both had given good service, they suffered from a common set of flaws: a nose-up attitude when at rest, complicating cargo stowing; restrictive side-loading doors; and limited payload.

Accordingly, in 1947 Direction Technique Industrielle organized a design competition for medium-weight cargo aircraft offering great flexibility in use. Société Nationale de Construction Aéronautique du Nord (SNCAN) answered with the Nord 2500, while their competitors, Breguet and SNCASO, offered the BR-891R Mars and SO-30C respectively. The Nord 2500, with its rear-opening clamshell doors allowing ease of loading, was considered the most promising, and DTI ordered two prototypes on April 27, 1948. The first prototype took to the air on September 10, 1949 powered by two Gnome et Rhône 14R 1600-hp engines driving 3-bladed variable pitch propellers, but it was found to be too slow for most applications. The second prototype replaced the 14Rs with two SNECMA-built Bristol Hercules 738/9 2040-hp engines driving four-bladed propellers, and this model was rechristened the Nord 2501. DTI ordered 3 more preproduction Nord 2501s, which they flight-tested extensively against the similar Fairchild C-82 Packet. The N-2501 was found superior, and the first 34 were ordered on July 10, 1951. After an eventual production run of some 425 planes, the last Noratlas was constructed in 1961.

[edit] Operational History

1952 was marked by the unfortunate crash of the first Nord 2501 prototype as it underwent further testing, and on January 9, 1953, the Nord 2501 was baptized the Noratlas by the widow of the pilot killed in the crash. Despite this setback, the program was able to fulfill its initial contract for 34 planes by June 25, 1953, and the Armée de l'Air went on to order another 174 planes, for a total of 208. These were initially overwhelmingly cargo planes, though 10 were ordered fitted out for passengers; however, following the conclusion of operations in Algeria in 1962, many were converted to other roles (detailed below). Of these modifications, the eight Nord Gabriels (an electronic warfare platform) were useful the longest, and it was the last of this type that was finally phased out in 1989 by the Armée de l'Air.

West Germany, faced with the same situation that had prompted the development of the Noratlas, eventually ordered a total of 186 Noratlases from 1956 on, of which 25 were built in France, and the other 161 manufactured in West Germany by Flugzeugbau Nord (a satellite company) under contract. These last were designated N-2501D. The Luftwaffe began selling its Noratlases in 1964, and is the source for most of the planes for the smaller national operators listed below.

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) initially purchased three examples of the N-2501IS in 1956, but under duress -- the French government would only allow them to purchase 12 Dassault Ouragans if they purchased 3 Noratlases as well. The Israelis were upset by the terms of the offer, but France was one of very few countries willing to sell them arms, and eventually they knuckled under. However, they quickly realized the utility of the Noratlas following its performance in the Suez Crisis, and purchased another 3 N-2501ISs in 1959, and 16 N-2501Ds before the Six-Day War. These were primarily intended for cargo and paratroop transport, but there are reports that several were put to more unconventional use as bombers on long-range strikes into Egypt, much as the contemporary C-130s deployed the Daisy Cutter bomb in Vietnam. It is also known that the IAF used their Noratlases for maritime reconnaissance at the outset of the Six-Day War, and one of these identified the USS Liberty prior to the strafing of the ship. The IAF phased the Noratlas out in 1978, and the bulk of their fleet was sold to the Greek Air Force.

The N-2502A/B, which added two small Turboméca Marboré IIE turbojets at the wingtips, was used primarily by civil operators such as Union Aéromaritime du Transport (N-2502A) and CGTA-Air Algérie (N-2502B), but never found the success of the military versions, and only 10 were built. The Portuguese Air Force purchased 6 militarized N-2502As (designated N-2502F) over 1961-1962 as well.

There were also several variants of limited service that are mentioned below.

[edit] Variants

N-2500 - the original; powered by two Gnome et Rhône 14R 1600-hp engines

one produced

N-2501 - replaced the Gnome et Rhône engines with SNECMA-manufactured Bristol Hercules

208 produced, purchased by the Armée de l'Air

N-2501D - replaced some systems components of the N-2501 with their equivalent from German manufacturers

186 produced, purchased by the Luftwaffe

N-2501IS - replaced some systems components of the N-2501

6 produced, purchased by the Israeli Air Force

N-2501 Gabriel - SIGINT/electronic warfare platforms

8 produced, probably modified N-2501s; operated by the Armée de l'Air

N-2501TC - N-2501 modified for civil use by Transvalair

3 produced

N-2502A/B - a version for civil operators that used two Turboméca Marboré II turbojets and two Bristol Hercules 758/759 turboprops of 1650 hp each

10 purchased by UAT (A) and Air Algérie (B)

N-2502C - similar to N-2502A/B; intended for purchase by an Indian airline

one prototype constructed

N-2502F - militarized version of N-2502A purchased by Portugal

6 produced, operated by Portuguese Air Force

N-2503 - replaced the two Bristol Hercules with two Pratt & Whitney R-2800-CB17s of 2500 hp each

one produced? modified N-2501?

N-2504 - modification of the N-2502 intended for antisubmarine warfare research

4 planned, one constructed; operated by the French Navy

N-2505 - modified N-2502 intended for antisubmarine warfare

never passed the planning stage

N-2506 - special modification of N-2502 to improve STOL performance and performance under heavy load for use as an assault transport

at least 2 constructed

N-2507 - modified N-2502 intended for search and rescue, with 12-hour endurance or greater

never passed the planning stage

N-2508 - modified N-2503 with two Turboméca Marboré IIE turbojets added; highly capable, but none were ordered; the prototypes were sold to Germany

2 prototypes constructed

N-2520 - enlarged N-2502 with better cargo capacity

never passed the planning stage

[edit] Former Operators

The factual accuracy of this section is disputed.
Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page

France	Air Force: 208 N-2501; Navy: 1 N-2504
Germany	Air Force: 186 N-2501D
Greece	Air Force: 52 N-2501D, 1 N-2508 (from Germany)
Israel	Air Force: 6 N-2501IS, 16 N-2501D (from Germany)
Angola	Air Force: N-2501D, N-2502A, N-2502B (from Portugal); probably 7 total
Djibouti	Air Force: 3 ex-French N-2501s
Mozambique	Air Force: 7 ex-Portuguese N-2501D.
Niger	Air Force: 4 N-2501D (from Germany), 1 N-2501 (from France)
Nigeria	Air Force: 2 N-2501D (from Germany) from an original order for 10 (the rest were diverted to Israel). Unconfirmed reports that 4 N2501 were acquired from France. In 1972 two more N2501 were purchased from France for use as spares.
Portugal	Air Force: 6 N-2502F, 3 N-2502A (from Air Algérie), 19 N2501D (from Germany)
Rwanda	Air Force: 2 ex-French N-2501s.

[edit] Specifications (Nord N-2501)

General characteristics

Crew: 4-5
Capacity: 45 soldiers, 36 paratroopers, 18 patients with medics, or cargo
Length: 72 ft 1 in (21.96 m)
Wingspan: 106 ft 8 in (32.5 m)
Height: 19 ft 8 in (6.0 m)
Wing area: 1089 ft² (101.2 m²)
Empty weight: 28825 lb (13075 kg)
Useful load: 18647 lb (8458 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 48500 lb (22000 kg)
Powerplant: 2× SNECMA-manufactured Bristol Hercules 738/739, 2040 hp (1520 kW) each