CAV - C-10A Tigre
The
C-10 Tigre (tiger) was the first successful Venezuelan aircraft combining fighter and interceptor characteristics in a single aircraft. It was a lightweight fighter, achieving Mach 2, and is thus comparable to the American Lockheed F-104 Starfighter and Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter and the French Dassault Mirage III. But this level of performance was not attained as soon as desired, because of the original engine being underpowered and as a result it was decided to look for a foreign aircraft that could serve as a temporary alternative while the C-10 was improved. In 1959 the Venezuelan Air Force approached the French government about the acquisition of the license to produce both the Mirage III and its powerplant the Atar 9. The reason behind producing the Atar was to install it on the C-10. The first 24 Mirages were delivered directly from Dassault in late 1961 along with a number engines, some of which were sent directly to CAV to test them on the C-10. The first Atar powered C-10 took to the air in January 1962 and after the engineers and pilots were satisfied with the modifications all the aircraft in the production line were inmediately modified and all the aircraft onwards were equipped the French engine.
General characteristics:
Crew: 1 or 2
Length: 14.23 m (46.69 ft)
Wingspan: 9.88 m (32,41 ft)
Height: 4.00 m (13,12 ft)
Wing area: 34.85 m² (375 ft²)
Empty weight: 7,050 kg (15,600 lb)
Loaded weight: 9,600 kg (21,164 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 13,700 kg (30,203 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × SNECMA Atar 09C turbojet
Dry thrust: 41.97 kN (9,436 lbf)
Thrust with afterburner: 60.80 kN (13,668 lbf)
Performance:
Maximum speed: Mach 2 (2,350 km/h, 1,268 knots, 1,460 mph) at 12,000 m (39,370 ft)
Combat radius: 1,200 km (647 nmi, 746 mi)
Ferry range: 3,335 km (1800,76 nmi, 1800,76 mi)
Service ceiling: 17,000 m (55,775 ft)
Rate of climb: 46,600 ft/min