SNCASE

SNCASE ("Société nationale des constructions aéronautiques du sud-est", or commonly, Sud-Est) was a French aircraft manufacturer. It was born from the nationalisation of the French aeronautical industries in 1937.

Based around Paris and in the south-east of France it incorporated the factories owned by Potez at Berre-l'Étang, Potez-CAMS at Saint-Ouen, Lioré et Olivier at Argenteuil, Romano (Chantiers aéronavals Étienne Romano) at Cannes and SPCA (Société provençale de constructions aéronautiques) at Marseille.

Most early Sud-Est aircraft retained their earlier designations, the most important of which was the Lioré et Olivier LeO 451 bomber. The first aircraft produced under the Sud-Est marque was the Sud-Est SE 100 (formerly Leo 50) fighter. They produced 2 autogyros, C.34 and the SE.700 "Alouette" (skylark). After World War II SNCASE continued experimenting with helicopters with the help from a team from Focke Achgelis. They built the SE.3000 which was a French version of the twin-rotor Focke Achgelis Fa 223 Drache and a smaller SE.3101, built around the Focke Wulf Fw 61. With this experience SNCASE went on to design more helicopters: SE.3100, SE.3110 and eventually the SE.3120 Alouette. The latter would lead to the commercially successful Alouette II and Alouette III.

In the 1950s, SNCASE undertook licence production of the British de Havilland Sea Venom FAW.20 as the Aquilon. 86 of this carrier-borne, all-weather jet fighter were produced and served with the French Navy.

The Alouette first flew on July 21 1951 and broke the helicopter distance and speed records in July 1953. A production for several hundreds was envisaged but hopes were soon dashed when the SE.3120 was found non-marketable because it was too complicated.

Airliners produced by Sud-Est: S.E.2010 Armagnac and the Sud Aviation Caravelle

On 1 March 1957, SNCASE merged with SNCASO to form Sud Aviation.