SNECMA Atar Volant

The SNECMA Atar Volant was an experimental French vertical‑take‑off and landing (VTOL) platform developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s by the aerospace firm then known as SNECMA, now Safran Aircraft Engines. Built around a modified Atar 101 turbo‑jet, the machine employed four swiveling exhaust nozzles that could direct thrust downward for lift and rearward for forward flight, effectively creating a jet‑powered helicopter. First flown on 23 February 1958, the prototype demonstrated controlled hover, forward transition, and landing, establishing the feasibility of thrust‑vectoring concepts that would later influence the development of the Aerospatiale/BAC Concorde‑derived Mirage III‑type VTOL projects and modern combat aircraft such as the Dassault Rafale’s M88 engine.

Key features included a lightweight airframe constructed of aluminium alloy, a central fuselage housing the Atar engine, and a sophisticated hydraulic system to pivot the nozzle assembly up to 90 degrees. The Atar Volant also incorporated early fly‑by‑wire attitude stabilization, providing pilots with automatic correction during hover.

Although the program never entered production, its experimental data proved critical to the evolution of vectored‑thrust technology, paving the way for contemporary VTOL fighters and tilt‑rotor aircraft, and cementing Safran’s reputation as an innovator in jet propulsion.