Nord Aviation


Nord-Aviation was a state-owned French aircraft manufacturer. The bulk of its facilities were based on the site of Bourges airport, in the département of Cher, in central France.
On 1 October 1954, Nord Aviation was created as a result of the acquisition of SFECMAS by SNCAN. The company's name, Nord, also became commonly used as a generic name referring to the Pingouin light aircraft. It manufactured numerous aircraft; perhaps Nord Aviation's most successful aircraft was the Nord Noratlas, a utility transport used by both military and civilian customers. Other aircraft included general aviation, trainers and experimental aircraft, as well as other transports. Nord Aviation also developed and produced its own range of missiles; perhaps the most famous of these was the Exocet, a sea-skimming anti-ship missile.
On 1 March 1970, Nord Aviation merged with Sud Aviation to create Société nationale d'industrie aérospatiale, which was promptly renamed Aérospatiale. In turn, this company would ultimately merged into European aerospace corporation EADS in 2000, which was subsequently rebranded as the Airbus Group.

History

Following the end of the Second World War, France's aviation industries began to rebuilt and reestablish themselves; many companies chose to consolidate and merge with one another during this period. On 1 October 1954, Nord Aviation was created as a result of the acquisition of SFECMAS by SNCAN.
A year prior to the company's creation, development of what can be regarded as perhaps Nord Aviation's most successful aircraft, the Nord Noratlas, has been completed. Nord continued the programme to schedule, fulfilling its initial contract for 34 aircraft by 25 June 1953; the Armée de l'Air went on to order another 174 Noratlases. Eventually, a total of 228 aircraft would enter French service. In addition to this sizable domestic appetite, the Noratlas was an export success as well; the newly formed nation of West Germany decided to address the German Air Force's requirement for new transport aircraft by ordered a total of 187 Noratlases, the first of which being delivered during 1956. While the first 25 aircraft were manufactured in France, the other 161 Noratlases were locally manufactured by the West German-based Flugzeugbau Nord company; such aircraft were designated as N-2501D. Flugzeugbau Nord had been involved in the Noratlas programme from an early stage, it being the company's first post-war aviation project, having been responsible for the design and manufacture of the majority of the aircraft's fuselage. In addition to these and other military customers, the Noratlas was also manufactured for the civil market, including a specialised de-militarised model designated N-2502A/B.
Several of Nord Aviation's aircraft never progressed beyond the experimental stage of development. One of the more radical designs was the Nord 1500 Griffon, a ramjet-powered fighter aircraft developed during the mid-1950s to fill a French Air Force specification for a Mach 2 fighter. Two prototypes were ordered initially in a letter dated 24 August 1953, with the final contract, in 1955; although intended to eventually fulfil a requirement for a light interceptor capable of operation from 1,000m grass runways, the two prototypes were ordered without military equipment for research purposes only. Production of the envisioned operational versions, often referred to as the Super Griffon, did not take place as it was found that the requirements could be met and exceeded with less complex and cheaper aircraft such as the more conventional Dassault Mirage III.
In addition to its range of aircraft, Nord Aviation also developed and manufactured a range of missiles; perhaps the most famous of these was the Exocet, a sea-skimming anti-ship missile. Development was started by Nord during 1967 under the designation of MM 38; its basic body design was based on the AS-30 air-to-ground tactical missile. The air-launched version of the Exocet was developed during the 1970s, it entered service with the French Navy in 1979. The missile gained a level of infamy for its use during the Falklands War of 1982, in which several British ships were damaged or sunk by Exocets launched by Argentinian forces. Both the Royal Navy destroyer and the 15,000-ton merchant ship were lost to use of the Exocet. Separately, an American frigate, the, was also damaged by two Exocet missiles launched by an Iraqi Air Force Dassault Mirage F1 while patrolling off the coast of Saudi Arabia.
On 1 March 1970, Nord Aviation merged with Sud Aviation to create Société nationale d'industrie aérospatiale, which was promptly renamed Aérospatiale. In turn, this company would ultimately merged into European aerospace corporation EADS in 2000, which was subsequently rebranded as the Airbus Group.

Aircraft production (for SNCAN and Nord Aviation)

Data from:Aviafrance SNCAN and ''Aviafrance Nord
ModelYearNote
Nord 1000 Pingouin1944Communications and Liaison
Nord 1001 Pingouin I1946Communications and Liaison
Nord 1002 Pingouin II1946Communication and Liaison
Nord 1100 Noralpha1944Prototype - Liaison
Nord 1101 Noralpha1946Liaison
Nord 1102 NoralphaLiaison
Nord 1104 Noralpha1950Liaison - Engine test
Nord 1110 Nord-Astazou1958Engine Test
Nord 1200 Norécrin1945Tourer - Prototype
Nord 1201 Norécrin1947Four-seat cabin monoplane
Nord 1202 Norécrin IITourer
Nord 1203 Norécrin II1947Tourer
Nord 1203 Norécrin III1947Tourer
Nord 1203 Norécrin IV1947Tourer
Nord 1203 Norécrin V1947Tourer
Nord 1204 Norécrin1953Tourer
Nord 1221 Norélan1948Light Trainer
Nord 1222 Norélan1949Light Trainer
Nord 1223 NorélanLight Trainer
Nord 1226 NorélanEngine test bed
Nord 13001945Training Glider
Nord 1400 Noroit1948Flying Boat
Nord 1401 Noroit1949Flying Boat
Nord 1402 Noroit1949Flying Boat
Nord 1402A Gerfaut IA1954Delta-wing research aircraft
Nord 1402B Gerfaut IBDelta-wing research aircraft
Nord 1405 Gerfaut II1956Delta-Wing research aircraft
Nord 1500 Noréclair1947Carrier Torpedo Bomber
Nord 1500 Griffon I1955Research aircraft
Nord 1500 Griffon II1957Research aircraft
Nord 16011950Research aircraft
Nord 1700 Norélic1947Research helicopter
Nord 17101950Research helicopter
Nord 1750 Norelfe1954Research helicopter
Nord 20001948Glider
Nord 2100 Norazur1947Military transport
Nord 22001949Fighter
Nord 2500 Noratlas1949Military transport
Nord 2501 Noratlas1950Military transport
Nord 2502 Noratlas1954Civil transport
Nord 2503 Noratlas1956Engine test
Nord 2504 Noratlas1958French Navy flying classroom
Nord 2506 NoratlasAssault transport version
Nord 2507 NoratlasRescue version
Nord 2508 Noratlas1957Cargo transport
Nord 28001950Trainer
Nord 32001954Primary trainer
Nord 32011954Primary trainer
Nord 32021957Primary trainer
Nord 32121957Instrument flight trainer
Nord 3400 Norbarbe1958Army observation
Nord 2601960Civil airliner
Nord 2621962Civil airliner
Nord 5001968VTOL research
Nord CT101951Radio-controlled drone
Nord CT201957Radio-controlled drone
Nord CT411957Radio-controlled drone
Nord R201957Radio-controlled drone
Nord NC.853S1957Tourer
Nord NC.853G1957Tourer
Nord NC.8541957Tourer
Nord NC.854SA1957Militarised NC.854
Nord NC.8561957
Nord NC.856A Norvegie1957Liaison / Observation aircraft
Nord NC.856B1957Four seater touring aircraft
Nord NC.856H1957Three-seater touring floatplane
Nord NC.856N Norclub1957Four-seater touring aircraft
Nord NC.858S1957Tourer
Nord NC.859S1957Tourer

Missiles