SNCAC
SNCAC NC 1080
The SNCAC NC‑1080 was a French twin‑engine jet fighter‑bomber developed in the late 1940s by Société Nationale de Construction aéronautique du Centre (SNCAC). Conceived shortly after World War II, the program aimed to give France an indigenous high‑speed combat aircraft capable of both air‑to‑air and air‑to‑ground missions, countering the rapid advance of British and American jet designs. The prototype, designated NC‑1080‑01, first flew on 6 February 1949 from the Breguet airfield at Le Bourget, powered by two Turbomeca ATAR 101 centrifugal‑flow turbojets mounted in nacelles under the wing. Its sleek, low‑wing monoplane layout featured a laminar‑flow wing, all‑metal stressed‑skin construction, and a pressurised cockpit with a central bubble canopy. Armament was intended to include four 20 mm Hispano cannons and provision for rockets or bombs on under‑wing pylons. Despite promising performance—reaching 950 km/h at sea level—the project suffered from chronic engine reliability problems, weight growth, and shifting French defense priorities toward the more conventional Dassault Ouragan. The NC‑1080 never entered production, and its sole prototype was scrapped in 1952. Nevertheless, it remains a notable example of France’s early post‑war jet‑age experimentation and contributed valuable data that informed later SNCASO and Dassault designs.
Classification
Production & History
- First Flight
- 1949