Sud-Est SE.2410 Grognard

Sud-Est · France · first flew 1950 · bomber

The Sud-Est Grognard was a single-seat jet ground-attack aircraft built by the French manufacturer Sud-Est. Its unorthodox, unlovely shape earned it the nickname "Hunchback".

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, swept
E — Engines	2 × turbojet, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	Compact, bulbous fuselage that earned it the nickname "Hunchback"
T — Tail	Conventional

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

Spot it by:

Compact, bulbous fuselage that earned it the nickname "Hunchback"
Mid-mounted wing swept at 47 degrees
Two Rolls-Royce Nene turbojets stacked in the fuselage and fed by a single dorsal inlet

Look for a short, humped single-seat jet with a swept mid wing and a single dorsal air intake.

Specifications

The Sud-Est SE.2410 Grognard has a length of 15.4 m (51 ft).
It has a wingspan of 13.57 m (45 ft).
Its maximum speed is 1038 km/h (645 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

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

History

Development began in 1946 after the Armee de l'Air issued a ground-attack specification. The SE.2410 prototype first flew on 30 April 1950. It was powered by two licence-built Rolls-Royce Nene turbojets and had a 47 degree swept wing.

Variants

A two-seat development with a stretched fuselage, the SE.2415 Grognard II, followed, and the SE.2421 all-weather fighter and SE.2418 attack models were also studied. The second prototype suffered from tailplane flutter.

Where you'll see it

Only two prototypes were built. During armaments trials the Grognard became the first French aircraft to fire an air-to-air missile. Work stopped in 1952 in favour of the Sud-Ouest Vautour II.

Related aircraft

AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 8,606 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.