Sud Aviation SE-116 Voltigeur
Sud Aviation · France · first flew 1958 · reconnaissance aircraft
The twin-turboprop Sud Aviation SE-116 Voltigeur of the late 1950s was a French army support aircraft capable of observation and ground attack. Three were built but there was no series production.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × turboprop, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 12.28 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Low-wing cantilever monoplane with straight-tapered, square-tipped surfaces
- Slender engine cowlings on top of the wings
- Glazed nose and a tall, broad vertical tail
It has tricycle gear with main legs retracting backwards into under-engine cowlings, perforated airbrakes behind the wing trailing edge and two 20 mm guns, with six underwing attachment points.
Specifications
- The Sud Aviation SE-116 Voltigeur has a length of 12.28 m (40 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 17.97 m (59 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 455 km/h (283 mph).
- Typical crew: 2-3.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
The programme arose in 1958 during the Algerian War and also produced the SIPA S.1100 and the Dassault Spirale. The Voltigeur was originally known as the Fonceur. The piston-engined first prototype flew on 5 June 1958 with Roger Carpentier, and the turboprop version first flew on 15 December 1958.
Variants
The first prototype had 800 hp Wright Cyclone radials ahead of the wing leading edges. On the second prototype they were replaced by 760 hp Turbomeca Bastan turboprops.
Where you'll see it
On 9 January 1959 Carpentier, Yves Crouzet and Marcel Hochet were killed when tail flutter developed in a high-speed run. After tests of the SE-117 pre-production machine the programme was abandoned.
Related aircraft
- Sud Aviation Caravelle III
- Sud Aviation Caravelle
- English Electric Canberra PR.9
- Fairey Gannet AEW.3
- Nord Aviation Nord 3400
- SIPA S.1100
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