SNCASO Vautour II

Sud-Aviation / Sud-Ouest · France · first flew 1952 · bomber

The SNCASO SO 4050 Vautour II was a French twin-jet bomber and all-weather attack aircraft of the 1950s, notable for its buried engines with cheek intakes and swept mid-wing. It served with the French Air Force and the Israeli Air Force, which used it in combat.

Recognition (WEFT)

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Spot it by:

• Twin turbojets buried in the fuselage sides with cheek intakes
• Mid-swept wing French jet bomber/attack aircraft
• Served with Israeli Air Force as a strike aircraft and heavy fighter

The fuselage-side cheek intakes feeding buried jets, swept mid-wing, and tandem crew seating are distinctive; the profile somewhat resembles the English Electric Canberra but with a very different engine arrangement.

Specifications

• The SNCASO Vautour II has a length of 15.57 m (51 ft).
• It has a wingspan of 15.1 m (50 ft).
• Its maximum speed is 1105 km/h (687 mph).
• Typical crew: 2.

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

History

First flown in 1952, the Vautour entered French service in the mid-1950s in bomber, single-seat attack, and all-weather fighter variants. France exported aircraft to Israel, which used the Vautour IIA and IIB in the 1956 Suez campaign and 1967 Six-Day War as strike aircraft.

Variants

The Vautour IIA was a single-seat ground attack variant; the IIB was the two-seat bomber; the IIN was a two-seat all-weather night fighter version.

Where you'll see it

French Air Force (Armée de l'Air) until the early 1970s; Israeli Air Force used Vautours in the 1956 and 1967 wars, replacing them with A-4 Skyhawks and Mirages.

Related aircraft

• Avro Vulcan
• Avro Vulcan B.1
• Boeing B-52 Stratofortress
• Boeing XB-52 Stratofortress

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