Dassault Etendard IV

Dassault Aviation · France · first flew 1956 · fighter

A French carrier-borne strike fighter of the late 1950s, transonic and powered by a single SNECMA Atar turbojet.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — WingsMid-mounted, swept
E — Engines1 × turbojet, fuselage-mounted
F — FuselageCircular air intakes on each side of the forward fuselage
T — TailConventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Look for the swept folding wing, the round side intakes and the slim nose. Carrier hook and catapult fittings mark its naval role.

Specifications

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

History

Grown from a 1950s NATO light-fighter competition that it lost, the Etendard IV was adapted for the French Navy and the navalised prototype first flew in 1956.

Variants

The Marine Nationale received 69 Etendard IVM strike fighters and 21 Etendard IVP photo-reconnaissance and tanker aircraft, the latter with an elongated camera nose.

Where you'll see it

Flew from the carriers Clemenceau and Foch; the IVM retired in 1991 and the IVP recon version served until 2000. A European naval type, not seen in UK skies.

Related aircraft

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