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Hello everyone, and welcome to this new suggestion.
Today, I am presenting a new French prototype aircraft: the SE.117 Voltigeur.
In the mid-1950s, France was bogged down in the Indochina War. The fighting was extremely fierce, and air support was essential to cover infantry advances. France was relying on World War II-era aircraft, such as the B-26 and AD-4; however, these planes were aging, and a replacement was sought. Consequently, a tender was issued in 1954 to launch production of a versatile aircraft that met the standards of the time.
SNCASE, then competing with Dassault Aviation, introduced the SE.116—a twin-engine, three-seat aircraft capable of performing the missions outlined in the specifications. The aircraft made its maiden flight in 1958 and demonstrated promising flight characteristics. Following a successful presentation, SNCASE won the contract and proceeded to refine the design. Unfortunately, during a test flight in 1959, an incident occurred that led to the aircraft crashing and the loss of the entire crew.
A new prototype was subsequently built, incorporating lessons learned from the earlier versions and—for the first time—featuring hardpoints for weaponry and a gun pod for offensive cannons. This variant, designated the SE.117, first flew in 1960.
However, by this time, the colonial wars were drawing to a close; Indochina was already becoming a distant memory, and the Algerian War appeared to be heading toward a diplomatic rather than a military resolution. Military budgets began to shrink, and with them, the funding allocated for developing new aircraft. As the SE.117 was designed for a combat role that was rapidly becoming obsolete, it was particularly hard-hit, ultimately leading to the project’s cancellation. A collaboration between Dassault and SNCASE was attempted to deliver an aircraft of this type, but the project never came to fruition, marking the end of the era of such aircraft.
The SE.117 therefore never entered service; however, a great deal of work was carried out on the aircraft, to the point where it was virtually ready to join the French armed forces. It thus met the same fate as aircraft from SIPA or POTEZ, which also experienced similar disappointments during that period.
Characteristics
Length: 12.28 m
Wingspan: 17.97 m
Weight:
- Empty: 4,200 kg
- Loaded: 6,520 kg
The aircraft is powered by two Turbomeca Bastan IIB turboprop engines, each delivering 750 hp. This enables it to reach a speed of 455 km/h and cover a range of 2,000 km at a maximum altitude of 9,600 m. Designed for operation from rudimentary airstrips, the aircraft features a high-lift flap system that allows for a takeoff run of 290 m and a landing roll of 300 m.
The crew consists of three people: one pilot and two observers.
Weapons
This aircraft’s armament is highly effective, consisting of offensive DEFA cannons and multiple hardpoints capable of carrying the ordnance needed to destroy any type of ground target.
Internal:
- 2 x 30mm DEFA cannons mounted in a ventral bay
Under-wing:
- 6 hardpoints
- T10 140 rockets
- T10 151 rockets
- Matra SNEB rockets
- SAMP bombs
In-game, this aircraft would be a particularly interesting addition to the French tree, filling out ranks currently occupied only by American aircraft and performing a role similar to that of the A-20s in the US tree.
Pictures
Sources
- Sud-Est Voltigeur / SE.116 / SE.117
- Sud-Est SE.116/SE.117 Voltigeur — avionslegendaires.net
- COIN: French Counter-Insurgency Aircraft, 1946-1965
- SNCASE SE-117 Voltigeur
- 56 - Le SNCASE SE-116/SE-117 « Voltigeur ». - Le blog de Avions de la Guerre d’Algérie
- FDRA - Fuerza Aérea: Avión de control colonial SNCASE SE.116/SE.117 Voltigeur