Breguet Taon

Breguet Aviation · France · first flew 1957 · fighter

The Breguet Taon (Horsefly) was a French lightweight supersonic fighter-bomber prototype developed in the late 1950s to compete in the NATO Basic Military Requirement 1 competition. Though technically capable, it lost to the Fiat G.91.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — WingsMid-mounted, delta
E — Engines1 × turbojet, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage13.87 m fuselage
T — TailConventional

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A small, slender jet with a mid-mounted delta wing, single engine with a nose intake, and conventional tail; its compact proportions reflect the lightweight requirement.

Specifications

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Breguet designed the Taon specifically for the NBMR-1 specification seeking a simple, light tactical strike aircraft for NATO air forces. First flying in 1957, it demonstrated good performance but the evaluation committee chose the Italian Fiat G.91. The Taon programme was cancelled without production.

Variants

Two prototypes were built; no production variant followed the competition loss.

Where you'll see it

Never entered operational service; evaluated only during the NATO competition.

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