Etendard IV P

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Hello everyone, and welcome to this new suggestion.

Today, I’m introducing a variant of an aircraft already present in the game, the Etendard IV P.

First of all, thanks to @Fennec3000 for their help in creating this suggestion.

When the Étendard IV M, the French Navy’s first supersonic aircraft, entered service, the French Navy quickly became interested in developing a version specialized in aerial reconnaissance. The goal was to have an aircraft capable of reaching high speeds and offering greater agility than the current shipborne surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, the Breguet Alizé.

A specific version of the Étendard was therefore proposed and adopted almost immediately: the Étendard IV P (the “P” standing for photo). This aircraft adopted the airframe of the IV M but was distinguished by its redesigned nose. The Agave radar of the initial version was removed and replaced by a set of cameras. The nose cone was redesigned to accommodate three OMERA cameras (two oblique and one vertical), and the two 30 mm cannons were removed to make room for the fuel system and associated devices. The new aircraft thus features a glazed nose, providing a wide field of vision for the cameras, topped with the tip of the in-flight refueling boom.

In the French armed forces, 22 Étendard IV Ps were built. Entering service in 1964 with the 16F flotilla, it was later used by other flotillas, the 11F, 15F, 17F, and the 51S.

The aircraft participated in numerous overseas operations: it was deployed during the Chadian War, during the interventions in Lebanon in the 1980s, and during the Gulf War in 1991 aboard the aircraft carrier Clemenceau, where it carried out reconnaissance missions over Kuwait and Iraq. From the 1990s onwards, the Étendard IV P was gradually replaced by the Etendard IV PM (modernised version), the Super Étendard and then by the Rafale M.

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Characteristics

  • Length : 14.7 m

  • Wingspan : 9.6 m

  • Height : 3.8 m

  • Mass :

    • Min : 5,900 kg
    • Max : 10,090 kg

The aircraft is powered by the same engine as the M version, the SNECMA Atar 8C2, which allows the Etendard IV P to reach a maximum speed of 1204 km/h and an altitude of 45,000 feet. Its maximum range is over 1600 km without any loadout.

Equipment

  • Cameras :

    • 3 cameras in the nose
    • Camera pod under the belly (3 cameras) (CER 10PR)

  • Detectors :

    • BW detector
    • BZ detector
      These two detectors are quite mysterious since few sources talk about them, what seems to be at least certain is that the BZ is a detector with a rearward-pointing antenna operating in a similar way to a RWR for the pilot and the BW is a detector composed of 3 antennas (one on the nose and one on each wing) also similar to a RWR

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Some sources mention the use of LEM rockets by the Etendard IV M (a rocket with a Type 29 electromagnetic decoy warhead, which can be mounted in rocket launchers), however, there is no confirmation to support these claims.

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Weapons

The armament of the Etendard IV P is the same as that of the Etendard IV M, except that the cannons have been removed from the IV P. This means it retains the capability to fire conventional air-to-ground weapons such as bombs and rockets. There is no confirmation that the ability to fire AIM-9B air-to-air missiles and AS-20 and AS-30 air-to-surface missiles has been retained; however, it seems unlikely that this capability has been maintained. The retention of the ability to drop bombs and fire rockets is primarily due to the aircraft’s need to deploy illuminating bombs and rockets for its reconnaissance missions.

  • Bombs :

    • SAMP Type 21
    • SAMP Type 25
    • Mk-83
    • AN M64A1

  • Rockets :

    • SNEB Type 23

Additionally, two 600-liter fuel tanks can be carried (one under each wing). A buddy-to-buddy refueling pod can also be installed at the central point, in place of the camera pod that is normally used.

Pictures

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Video

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLQGHx6tL0w)
French Navy Étendard IVM aboard aircraft carrier Foch R99 (1968)

In the game, this aircraft would be an interesting addition to the French tech tree. The Etendard IV P could indeed complement the French tech tree effectively, adding a ground attack jet with a relatively low Battle Rating due to its limited armament, and offering unique gameplay characteristics because of the absence of cannons.

Sources
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2

+1 would like to see this one day

3

+1 for anything to the french tech tree

1 Like