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The Nord 1500 Griffon was an experimental ramjet-powered interceptor aircraft designed and built by French state-owned aircraft manufacturer Nord Aviation. The Griffon was developed to become a Mach 2 follow on to the supersonic Nord Gerfaut research aircraft. Development of the aircraft began in earnest after the receipt of a letter of intent in 1953 for a pair of unarmed research aircraft. The design featured an innovative dual propulsion turbojet-ramjet configuration; the former being used to takeoff and attain sufficient speed to start the latter. The first prototype, named Griffon I, made its maiden flight in 1955 and eventually reached a speed of Mach 1.3. Because it lacked the ramjet engine, it was mostly used for exploring the aircraft's aerodynamic properties and its systems. Its flight testing was terminated shortly after the ramjet-equipped Griffon II made its first flight two years later. This aircraft attained a maximum speed of Mach 2.19 and set a world record for a small closed course in 1959. It was last flown in 1961 and currently resides in the Musée de l'air et de l'espace outside Paris, France. The Nord 1500 Griffon originated from a state-sponsored study into delta and swept wings. To provide data for these studies Arsenal de l'Aéronautique (SFECMAS's nationalised predecessor) built a wooden glider, the Arsenal 1301, that could be fitted with both delta and swept wings and with and without canards. Towed to the release point by SNCAC Martinet, Douglas DC-3 or SNCASE Languedoc transport aircraft, the glider provided valuable data for the design of the Gerfaut. To utilise this data SFECMAS's chief designer, Jean Galtier, initiated the 1400, 1500 and 1910 interceptor projects with delta wings and different types of propulsion systems. The 1400 developed into the Nord Gerfaut series, the 1500 became the Griffon, while the 1910, ambitiously specified with two large ramjet engines, was never pursued. Galtier envisioned the Griffon as the Mach 2 successor to the supersonic Gerfaut. By this time Arsenal had been privatised as SFECMAS - Société Française d'Etude et de Construction de Matériel Aéronautiques Spéciaux. Powered by a large ramjet with turbojet sustainer, the Griffon was renamed from the SFECMAS 1500 Guépard (Cheetah) after SFECMAS was merged with SNCAN to form Nord Aviation. For more details of the development and testing of this aircraft, click here. Variants SFECMAS 1500 Guépard The original designation and name of the initial design studies carried out at SFECMAS. Nord 1500-01 Griffon I The first aircraft completed with only the SNECMA Atar 101F afterburning turbojet component of the planned turbo-ramjet powerplant. Nord 1500-02 Griffon II The second aircraft fitted with the definitive turbo-ramjet powerplant.

The Gloster E.28/39, (also referred to as the Gloster Whittle, Gloster Pioneer, or Gloster G.40) was the first British jet-engined aircraft and first flew in 1941. It was the fourth jet to fly, after the German Heinkel He 178 (1939), the Italian Caproni Campini N.1 motorjet (1940), and the German Heinkel He 280 (1941). The E.28/39 was the product of a specification which had been issued by the Air Ministry for a suitable aircraft to test the novel jet propulsion designs that Frank Whittle had been developing during the 1930s. Gloster and the company's chief designer, George Carter, worked with Whittle to develop an otherwise conventional aircraft fitted with a Power Jets W.1 turbojet engine. Flying for the first time on 15 May 1941, two E.28/39 aircraft were produced for the flight test programme. Following initial satisfactory reports, these aircraft continued to be flown to test increasingly refined engine designs and new aerodynamic features. Despite the loss of the second prototype, due to improper maintenance causing a critical aileron failure, the E.28/39 was considered to be a success. The E.28/39 contributed valuable initial experience with the new type of propulsion and led to the development of the Gloster Meteor, the first operational jet fighter to enter service with the Allies. The first prototype continued test flying until 1944, after which it was withdrawn from service; in 1946, it was transferred to the Science Museum in London, where it has been on static display ever since; full-scale replicas have been created. The development of the turbojet-powered E.28/39 was the product of a collaboration between the Gloster Aircraft Company and Sir Frank Whittle's firm, Power Jets Ltd. Whittle formed Power Jets Ltd in March 1936 to develop his ideas of jet propulsion, Whittle himself serving as the company's chief engineer. For several years, attracting financial backers and aviation firms prepared to take on Whittle's radical ideas was difficult; in 1931, Armstrong-Siddeley had evaluated and rejected Whittle's proposal, finding it to be technically sound but at the limits of engineering capability. Securing funding was a persistently worrying issue throughout the early development of the engine. The first Whittle prototype jet engine, the Power Jets WU, began running trials in early 1937; shortly afterwards, both Sir Henry Tizard, chairman of the Aeronautical Research Committee, and the Air Ministry gave the project their support. The E.28/39 was a low-wing monoplane designed around the new jet engine. It was described as possessing a slightly tubby appearance as a result of a round fuselage. Due to the elimination of any risk that would have been posed by propeller tips striking the ground, the E.28/39 had an unusually short undercarriage for the era. It had a retractable undercarriage which was actuated by a hydraulic accumulator, with a manually-operated hand-pump to serve as a backup. Emergency actuation used compressed air. The flaps were also hydraulically-actuated, using the hand-pump. Unusually, the nose wheel was steerable, using the rudder control, which aided in ground manoeuvring. For more details of this historic aircraft, click here.

The Percival Prince is a British light transport of the early postwar period. It was a twin-engine, high-wing, cantilever monoplane of all-metal stressed-skin construction; the undercarriage was of retractable, tricycle type. The design of the Prince continued from the solitary Merganser. Further development of the type led to the Survey Prince survey aircraft and the Sea Prince. An improved version of the Prince 3 with an increased wingspan and engine and undercarriage modifications was developed for the Royal Air Force as the Percival Pembroke. The Prince was produced in six versions for the civil market. Several examples were operated as executive aircraft including Standard Motors and Shell Oil. Three aircraft were used by the UK Ministry of Civil Aviation as airport facilities checking aircraft. The Sea Prince operated in two roles: in T.Mk.1 form it served as a navigation and anti-submarine trainer; the C.Mks. 1 and 2 were flown in the transport role. However, these were land planes and not COD (carrier on board delivery) aircraft. Sea Princes operated in both roles from 1954 to 1972 and as a navigation trainer until 1978, when it was replaced by the Handley Page Jetstream. https://docslib.org/doc/4957801/percival-p-50-prince-in-australia Variants P.50 Prince 1 – prototype based on Merganser with modified fin and undercarriage and two 520 hp Alvis Leonides 501/4 engine, one built. P.50 Prince 2 – As Prince 1 with sloping windscreen, stronger main spar, five built. P.50 Prince 3 – As Prince 2 with Alvis Leonides 502/4 engine and lengthened nose on some aircraft, 12 built. P.50 Prince 4 – Conversions to Alvis Leonides 503 engines, ten converted. P.50 Prince 5 – original designation of the Percival President. P.50 Prince 6 – Conversions to Alvis Leonides 504 engines. P.54 Survey Prince – Prince 2 with lengthened transparent nose and camera hatches, six built. P.50 Sea Prince C1 – Prince 2 for Royal Navy use, three built. P.57 Sea Prince T1 – Prince 3 with long nose housing radar, twin wheeled main undercarriage and lengthened engine nacelles for navigation and anti-submarine training, 41 built. (Specifications below) P.57 Sea Prince C2 – Transport version of Sea Prince T1, four built.

The Airspeed Consul is a twin-engined light transport aircraft and affordable airliner designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Airspeed Limited. Introduced during the immediate post-war period, it was a straightforward conversion of surplus Airspeed Oxford military trainers that had been extensively used during the Second World War. The Consul was developed into various models, each being typically suited for a particular role, such as an air ambulance, freighter, executive transport, and airliner. Airspeed marketed the type particularly heavily towards private owner-pilots and businesses, the latter being an atypical choice for the era. A number were also produced with armaments, having been militarised and exported to multiple overseas air forces. By the end of production, 162 Consuls had been produced. During the first half of the 1930s, the British aircraft manufacturer Airspeed Limited produced the Envoy, an eight-seat civil transport that was also promptly attracted the attention of military operators. Accordingly, during the late 1930s, a militarised derivative of the Envoy, known as the Oxford, was developed and introduced, being primarily used as a trainer aircraft. The Oxford was used in vast numbers by the Royal Air Force (RAF) in addition to several other air forces, forming a key element of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan; a total of 8,586 were produced. As early as 1940, Airspeed's management were considering the future postwar era and the fate of the large numbers of Oxfords that the company was mass-producing at that time; recognising that military demands would be curtailed, it was thus sensible for surplus aircraft to be converted for use by civilian operators instead. It was recognised that an affordable general purpose twin-engined transport aircraft, suitable for use as an airliner, would likely appeal to such operators. Having planned in advance of the conflict's end, following Victory in Europe Day, Airspeed quickly negotiated to buy back Oxfords from the British government, arranging the purchase of not only complete aircraft but also partially-assembled examples that were in progress at various factories. For more details of development, operational history and operators, click here.

The Aerocar Mini-IMP (Independently Made Plane) is a light aircraft designed by Moulton Taylor and marketed for homebuilding by Aerocar International. It is a scaled-down derivative of his original Aerocar IMP design. A two-seat version called the Bullet was also built. The Mini-IMP follows the same unconventional layout as its larger predecessor, with a center mounted engine, long driveshaft to a tail propeller, and inverted-V rudder/elevators. The aircraft is available in the form of plans for amateur construction. Following Taylor's death, the plans and licensing for the Mini-IMP have been marketed by the Mini-IMP Aircraft Company of Weatherford, Texas. The aircraft features a cantilever high-wing, a single-seat enclosed cockpit, fixed or retractable tricycle landing gear or conventional landing gear and a single engine in pusher configuration. The aircraft is made from riveted aluminum sheet. Its 24.5 ft (7.5 m) span wing is mounted well behind the pilot and employs a NASA GA(PC)-1 airfoil. The engine is mounted behind the pilot's seat driving the propeller through an extension shaft. Engines used include the 60 to 100 hp (45 to 75 kW) Volkswagen air-cooled engine four-stroke. Taylor claimed the Mini-IMP was not an original design, but an updated version of the 1912 Edison Doladay Bullet, a design that was capable of 110 mph in the earliest days of flight. In the late 1970s inquiries were made concerning a military version of the Mini-IMP, skinned with Kevlar, armed with two 7.62-millimeter machine guns, and with room in the baggage compartment for a considerable quantity of ammunition. Nothing came of the proposal.

The Miles M.2 Hawk was a twin-seat light monoplane designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Miles Aircraft Limited during the 1930s. It is the first of the company's aircraft to attain quantity production. The Hawk's development started in 1932 following a conversation between designer F.G. Miles and Charles Powys, the latter offering Miles hangar space at Woodley Aerodrome to build his proposed affordable twin-seat monoplane. The aircraft was designed by Miles and his wife, while construction of the prototype was mostly performed by the carpenter Harry Hull. On 29 March 1933, the prototype performed its maiden flight. The aircraft quickly proving its performance to be roughly 50 percent greater than biplane contemporaries. Within 15 months, 47 Hawks had been sold to various domestic customers. An advanced derivative, the Miles Hawk Major, was also quickly developed, alongside several specialised versions of the original aircraft. Amongst other uses, the Hawk was entered into numerous air races. Production of the original Hawk series came to an end during July 1934. The Miles Hawk was a two-seat lightweight cantilever monoplane. Somewhat unusually for the era, it featured wings that were designed to be folded. The aircraft had an open cockpit with a tandem seating arrangement for two. The airframe was largely composed of spruce, with the exterior being covered by a combination of birch and ply; even elements such as the engine mounts were made of wood to reduce costs. The undercarriage was supplied by Dowty Group, which were furnished with low-pressure tyres. Some Hawks, but not all, were furnished with wheel brakes. Variants M.2 Standard production two-seat version, powered by a single 95 hp A.D.C. Cirrus IIIA engine. M.2A Cabin version powered by a de Havilland Gipsy III engine, one built. M.2B Long-range single-seater powered by an A.D.C Cirrus Hermes IV, one-built. M.2C Re-engined with one 120 hp de Havilland Gipsy III engine, one built. M.2D Three-seat version with one 95 hp A.D.C. Cirrus IIIA engine, six built. Hawk Major The Hawk Major was developed to take advantage of the inverted design of the new de Havilland Gipsy Major engine. Lowering the cylinders below the propeller shaft axis greatly improved pilot visibility and allowed a shorter, lighter undercarriage. The Hawk Speed Six was a single-seat racing variant of the Hawk Major, with a larger Gipsy Six engine. Hawk M.2 Hawk Speed Six

The Aerotec A-122 Uirapuru was a Brazilian military trainer aircraft. It was a low-wing monoplane with tricycle undercarriage that accommodated the pilot and instructor side-by-side. It first flew on 2 June 1965. In October 1967, the Brazilian Air Force ordered 30 aircraft to replace the obsolete Fokker S.11s and S.12s (T-21s and T-22s) that were operating in the Air Force Academy.[2] Later, they ordered another 40, and then 30 more. These were designated T-23. The Bolivian Air Force ordered 36 examples in 1974, which flew until 1997, and in 1975 the Paraguayan Air Force bought eight aircraft to replace the Fokker T-21 (S.11). In 1986, six more were donated by the FAB. Most of them were withdrawn from service in 1992, replaced by the Enaer T-35 Pillán. As of 2009, only one T-23 is in flying conditions. Thirty others were sold in the civilian market. A total of 155 were built including prototypes by the time production finished in 1977. The T-23 suffered fatal accidents during spin training. The problem was solved after a crash in which an instructor described his stricken aircraft's responses to his control inputs all the way to the end. Uirapurus then received a ventral fin under the rear fuselage to correct the issue. In 1980 interest by the airforce in an improved version led to the development of the Uirapuru II, later known as the A-132 Tangará. Variants A-122A Uirapuru – T-23 – Military trainer A-122B Uirapuru – Civil version[4] A-122C Uirapuru – T-23C A-132 Uirapuru II – enlarged version with improved canopy and larger vertical tail surfaces.

The Republic RC-3 Seabee is an all-metal amphibious sports aircraft designed by Percival Spencer and manufactured by the Republic Aircraft Corporation. The RC-3 Seabee was designed by Percival Hopkins "Spence" Spencer. An aviation pioneer, he built his first hang glider in April 1911 at the age of 17 from plans he found in a Popular Mechanics magazine. On May 15, 1914, Spencer made his first powered flight in a Curtiss flying boat. In 1937, he joined Sikorsky engineer Vincent A. Larsen to design their first and only amphibious aircraft, the Spencer-Larsen SL-12C. Development of the plane progressed slowly and in September 1940 Spencer left the partnership to form his own company. His resulting design was the Spencer S-12 Air Car Amphibian. Construction of the S-12 began on March 1, 1941 and the small, two-seat S-12 prototype, registered NX29098, made its first flight on August 8, 1941. The S-12 was a fabric covered amphibian with a unique boxlike forward cabin; a high wing with a two-bladed propeller in pusher configuration; and a long, slender tail boom. In order to meet the anticipated postwar demand for civilian light aircraft, Republic endeavored to build the Seabee as inexpensively as possible, while still retaining reasonable performance and range. A lot of thought went into eliminating what were at the time termed as 'airplane frills,' resulting in a strong product built with as few parts as possible. For example, Seabees as built did not have ribs in the wings; instead, the heavy corrugated aluminum sheet which formed the skin provided the necessary stiffness. Republic was also willing to buy components in volume, which lowered costs further. On November 22, 1945, the prototype RC-3 (NX87451) came off the assembly line at Republic's factory in Farmingdale, New York and on December 1 made its first flight in Farmingdale with Spencer at the controls. On December 27, 1945, Republic Aviation purchased Aircooled Motors, manufacturers of the Franklin engine, to supply and build engines for the RC-3 Seabee. In March, 1946, the first production RC-3 Seabee was completed (NC87457, formerly NX87457, and on July 25, 1946 the first Seabee (NC87463, production #13) was delivered at the Republic factory to J.G. (Tex) Rankin of Rankin Aviation Industries of Tulare, California. For more information on the developmment, production and operational history of the Seabee, click here.

(Note: This profile will be moved to Recreational (3-Axis) when the revised weight limitations are introduced.) The APM 20 Lionceau is a two-seat very light aircraft manufactured by the French manufacturer Issoire Aviation. Despite its classic appearance, it is entirely built from composite materials, especially carbon fibers. Designed by Philippe Moniot and certified in 1999 (see EASA CS-VLA), this very light (400 kg empty, 634 kg loaded) and economical (80 PS engine) aircraft is primarily intended to be used to learn to fly, but also to travel with a relatively high cruise speed (113 knots). A three-seat version, the APM 30 Lion, was presented at the 2005 Paris Air Show. See also the profile for the four-seat AMP 40 Simba in General Aviation (Single Engine).

The Israel Aircraft Industries Kfir (Hebrew: כְּפִיר, "Lion Cub") is an Israeli all-weather multirole combat aircraft based on the French Dassault Mirage 5, with Israeli avionics and an Israeli-built version of the General Electric J79 turbojet engine. The Kfir programme originated in the quest to develop a more capable version of the IAI Nesher, which was already in series production. After General De Gaulle embargoed the sale of arms to Israel, the IAF feared that it might lose qualitative superiority over its adversaries in the future, which were receiving increasingly advanced Soviet aircraft. The main and most advanced type of aircraft available to the IAF was the Mirage, but a severe problem developed due to the Mirage fleet's depletion due to attrition after the Six-Day War. Domestic production would avoid the problem of the embargo completely; efforts to reverse engineer and reproduce components of the Mirage were aided by Israeli espionage efforts to obtain technical assistance and blueprints from third party Mirage operators. Two powerplants were initially selected for trials, the General Electric J79 turbojet and the Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan. In the end, the J79 was selected, not least because it was the same engine used on the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, which the Israelis began to acquire from the United States in 1969, along with a license to produce the J79 themselves. The J79 was clearly superior to the original French Atar 09, providing a dry thrust of 49 kN (11,000 lbf) and an afterburning thrust of 83.4 kN (18,750 lbf). In order to accommodate the new powerplant on the Mirage III's airframe, and to deliver the added cooling required by the J79, the aircraft's rear fuselage was slightly shortened and widened, its air intakes were enlarged, and a large air inlet was installed at the base of the vertical stabilizer, so as to supply the extra cooling needed for the afterburner. The engine itself was encased in a titanium heatshield. A two-seat Mirage IIIBJ fitted with the GE J79 made its first flight in September 1970, and was soon followed by a re-engined Nesher, which flew in September 1971. An improved prototype of the aircraft, with the name Ra'am B ("Ra'am" means "Thunder"; the "Ra'am A" was the Nesher),[3] made its first flight in June 1973. It had an extensively revised cockpit, a strengthened landing gear, and a considerable amount of Israeli-built avionics. The internal fuel tanks were slightly rearranged, their total capacity being increased to 713 US gal (2,700 L). For details of operational history, foreign service and the 12 variants, click here.

The PZL I-22 Iryda, otherwise known as the PZL M93 Iryda and PZL M96 Iryda, was a twin-engine, two-seat military jet trainer aircraft developed and produced by Polish aviation company PZL Mielec. Work started on what would become the Iryda in 1976 as a successor to the indigenously-developed TS-11 Iskra jet trainer. First flying on 3 March 1985, the type would have a protracted development, partly due to the initial unavailability of its PZL K-15 turbojet engines. The Polish Air Force received the first K-15-powered Irydras in May 1995. However, aircraft deliveries were complicated by disputes over cost and performance, leading to multiple announcements, policy reversals, and groundings of the type. A fatal accident involving the type on 24 January 1996 fuelled criticism and undermined support for the programme. In 1996, an agreement was struck to upgrade the existing aircraft to a new standard, flight testing of which commenced the following year. However, relations between PZL Mielec and the Polish Defense Ministry became so poor over the programme that legal action was initiated while the Iryda itself languished. In the late 1990s Polish Government support for the programme was withdrawn, and the handful of delivered aircraft were stored. Despite attempts to revive the programme by PZL Mielec, no orders have been forthcoming. Number built 17 including prototypes

In February of 2019, the Pakistan Air Force launched retaliatory airstrikes on Indian military installations at Indian Administered Jammu and Kashmir in response to India's violation of Pakistani airspace and the bombing of a wooded area at Balakot. While fighter jets from various PAF squadrons executed the airstrikes, Saab-2000 Erieye AWACS along with DA-20 EW supported them throughout the operation. The Erieye AEW&C mission system radar is an active, phased-array, pulse-doppler sensor that can feed an onboard operator architecture or downlink data (via an associated datalink subsystem) to a ground-based air defence network. The system employs a large aperture, dual-sided antenna array housed in a dorsal 'plank' fairing. The antenna is fixed, and the beam is electronically scanned, which provides for improved detection and significantly enhanced tracking performance compared with radar-dome antenna systems. Erieye detects and tracks air and sea targets out to the horizon, and sometimes beyond this due to anomalous propagation — instrumented range has been measured at 450 kilometres (280 mi). Typical detection range against fighter-sized targets is approximately 425 kilometres (264 mi), in a 150° broadside sector, both sides of the aircraft. Outside these sectors, performance is reduced in forward and aft directions. Other system features include: Adaptive waveform generation (including digital, phase-coded pulse compression); Signal processing and target tracking; track while scan (TWS); low side lobe values (throughout the system's angular coverage); low- and medium-pulse repetition frequency operating modes; frequency agility; Air-to-air and sea surveillance modes; and target radar cross-section display.