SNCAC NC 1080

SNCAC · France · first flew 1949 · fighter

The SNCAC NC 1080 was a French experimental single-seat jet fighter prototype designed for carrier operations with the Aéronavale, featuring a swept wing and a nose air intake feeding a single turbojet. It was one of several competing French naval jet prototypes of the late 1940s.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, swept
E — Engines	1 × turbojet, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	12.87 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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French experimental carrier-based jet fighter prototype with swept wing and nose intake
Designed by SNCAC for the Aéronavale as a high-speed naval jet
Lost in a fatal crash in 1952 after limited testing

A swept-wing single-engine jet with a circular nose intake, mid-mounted wings, and a conventional tail — closely resembling contemporaneous British and American naval jet prototypes, distinguishable mainly by French design details.

Specifications

The SNCAC NC 1080 has a length of 12.87 m (42 ft).
It has a wingspan of 12 m (39 ft).
Its maximum speed is 977 km/h (607 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

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

History

Built by Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Centre (SNCAC) as part of France's postwar effort to develop indigenous jet fighters for its navy, the NC 1080 flew from 1949 but was destroyed in a fatal accident in 1952 before its testing programme was complete. No production contract resulted.

Variants

A single prototype; the programme ended with the crash.

Where you'll see it

Never entered service; the Aéronavale subsequently adopted naval versions of existing designs rather than any NC 1080 successor.

Related aircraft

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