Dassault Étendard IV

Étendard IV
Role	Strike fighter
National origin	France
Manufacturer	Dassault Aviation
First flight	1958
Introduction	1962
Retired	1991
Status	Some IVPs still in service
Primary user	French Navy
Number built	90
Variants	Dassault-Breguet Super Étendard

The Dassault Étendard IV is a supersonic carrier-borne "strike" fighter aircraft designed for service with the French Navy.

Design and development

The Étendard's history begins with two design requirements in the early 1950s. One was for a light jet fighter for the French Air Force, the other for a light fighter to serve as standard equipment with NATO air forces. Dassault used variations of the same basic design to produce prototypes for both these specifications, designated the Étendard II and Étendard VI respectively, neither of which led to any orders. At the same time, the company evolved a larger and more powerful variant (originally designated Mystère XXIV) as a private venture.

Able to generate interest from the Navy, Dassault built a prototype navalised version, first demonstrated to the service in 1958 and which resulted in an order for 69 fighter aircraft, designated Étendard IVM and 21 reconnaissance versions designated Étendard IVP. From 1962, these began to be deployed aboard the new French Clemenceau class aircraft carriers.

Performance of the Étendard IV was never spectacular, in the low supersonic range at altitude. It could reach Mach 1.3 at 11,000 meters and Mach 0.97 at low altitude. In the 1970s it was clear that a replacement should be sought. For some time, this was hoped to be a navalised version of the SEPECAT Jaguar, the Jaguar M, but as the various political problems of the joint Anglo-French effort dragged out development, Dassault stepped in with an uprated version of the Étendard, dubbed Super Étendard. The last of the original Étendard IVMs were withdrawn in 1991, although a handful of IVPs remain operational in 2004.

Variants

• Etendard IVB : One prototype fitted with an Atar 51 engine and blown flaps.
• Etendard IVM : Single-seat strike fighter aircraft for the French Navy.
• Etendard IVP : Single-seat reconnaissance aircraft for the French Navy.

Operators

 France

• French Navy Aviation Navale

Specifications (Dassault Étendard IVM)

Etendard IVM on display at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 14.40 m (47 ft 3 in)
• Wingspan: 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
• Height: 3.79 m (12 ft 6 in)
• Wing area: 29 m² (312 ft²)
• Empty weight: 5,900 kg (13,000 lb)
• Loaded weight: 8,170 kg (18,010 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 10,200 kg (22,500 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × SNECMA Atar 8B turbojet, 43.16 kN (9,703 lbf)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 1,099 km/h (593 knots, 683 mph)
• Range: 3,300 km (1,800 NM, 2,100 mi)
• Service ceiling: 15,500 m (50,900 ft)
• Rate of climb: 100 m/s (19,700 ft/min)
• Wing loading: 282 kg/m² (57 lb/ft²)
• Thrust/weight: 0.54

Armament

• Guns: 2× 30 mm (1.18 in) DEFA 552 cannons with 150 rounds per gun
• Rockets: 2× Matra rocket pods with 18× SNEB 68 mm rockets each
• Bombs: 1,360 kg (3,000 lb) of payload on four external hardpoints, including a variety of bombs or Drop tanks

See also

• Dassault Étendard
• Dassault Mystère
  

Related development

• Dassault Étendard II
• Dassault Étendard VI
• Dassault Super Étendard
  

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

• A-7 Corsair II
• Blackburn Buccaneer
  

Related lists

• List of fighter aircraft
• List of military aircraft of France