Fouga CM.175 Zéphyr
The Fouga Zéphyr (company designation CM.175) was a 1950s French two-seat carrier-capable jet trainer for the French Navy. It was developed from the land-based CM.170 Magister.
Design and development
The French Navy's Aéronavale adopted a derivative of the Fouga CM.170-1 Magister as a basic trainer for carrier operations.[1] Originally designated CM-170M Esquif, the prototype first flew on 31 July 1956, and was redesignated as the CM.175 Zéphyr soon after. Carrier trials were conducted from HMS Eagle (R05) and HMS Bulwark (R08) off the French coast.[1]
The Zéphyr differed from the Magister in being equipped with an arrester hook and a modified structure and undercarriage strengthened for carrier operations.[1] The Zéphyr also included a nose-mounted light. As it did not have ejection seats, the Zéphyr had new sliding canopy hoods which could be locked open during carrier launchings and landings. One six-round rocket pod could be mounted under each wing for weapons training. Two guns could be fitted in the nose, but these were seldom carried. Thirty-two aircraft were delivered.[1]
Operational history
The first production aircraft first flew on the 30 May 1959 and entered service in October 1959 with 59S the deck landing school at Hyéres. The squadron used only 14 aircraft at a time with the others being kept in short-term storage and periodically rotated to even out the flying hours. In 1962 the unit formed an aerobatic team using the Zéphyr called the Patrouille de Voltige d'Hyéres.
Variants
- CM-170M Esquif - prototype; 2 built.
- CM.175 Zéphyr - production version; 30 built.
Operators
- French Navy
- 59 Escadrille de Servitude
Specifications (CM.175)
Data from Carrier Aviation Air Power Directory [1]
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Length: 10.06 m (33 ft 0 in)
- Wingspan: 12.15 m (39 ft 10 in) (with wingtip fuel tanks))
- Height: 2.80 m (9 ft 2 in)
- Wing area: 17.30 m² (186.22 ft²)
- Empty weight: 2,150 kg (4,740 lb)
- Max. takeoff weight: 3,200 kg (7,055 lb)
- Powerplant: 2 × Turbomeca Marboré IIA turbojets, 3.92 kN (882 lbf) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 715 km/h at 9,000 m (444 mph at 29,525 ft)
- Range: 925 km (575 miles)
- Service ceiling: 11,000 m (36,090 ft)
- 2 x 7.5 mm or 7.62 mm machine guns (seldom carried)
- Up to 100 kg (220 lb) of weapons on two underwing hardpoints.
See also
- Related development
- Fouga Magister
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
References
- Kopenhagen, W., ed. Das große Flugzeug-Typenbuch. Stuttgart, Germany: Transpress, 1987. ISBN 3-344-00162-0.
- Jackson, Paul A, French Military Aviation Leicester, England: Midland Counties Publications, 1979. ISBN 0-904597-17-2.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fouga Magister. |
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