Dassault Étendard VII
Dassault Étendard VII, Chilean Navy, July 1982
In July 1977 the Chilean Navy acquired the Centaur-class aircraft carrier HMS
Bulwark from the United Kingdom to keep up with the naval capabilities of Argentina and Brazil who had smaller, but modernised Majestic-class carriers. After a refit and refurbishment the carrier entered service as the
Almirante Cochrane in February 1979.
Chile needed to find a suitable aircraft. The
Almirante Cochrane lacked a steam catapult or angled deck so a V/STOL aircraft was the only solution. McDonnell Douglas and the US government offered the AV-8A Harrier at very good terms but it lacked a radar and anti-ship capability which the Chileans felt were essential. Hawker Siddeley offered to develop a fighter version of the Harrier with a radar but this was too expensive [in my AU world the Sea Harrier FRS.1 does not exist]. Dassault offered the only suitable alternative, the Étendard VII.
The Étendard VII had been developed alongside the PH75 nuclear-powered helicopter carrier proposal (the
Arromanches being laid down in September 1979) to ensure that the Marine Nationale retained a fixed-wing fighter capability. Drawing on the lessons of the Mirage IIIV and Balzac V as well as the F1 programme, Dassault came up with a small delta-winged fighter powered by an Adour turbojet fitted with a swivelling tailpipe and two Rolls-Royce/Allison XJ99 turbofan lift-jets to provide V/STOL performance. An Agave radar was fitted and the aircraft could carry two AM39 Exocets. The resulting design was not unlike the abortive Convair Model 200A proposed for the USN's Sea Control Ship concept. First flown in June 1979 the Étendard VII entered French service in January 1982. As early as March 1979 the Chileans ordered a dozen, the
Almirante Cochrane sailing to France to collect them in March 1982. By the end of that year the type was fully operational as tensions rose with Argentina due to the Falklands/Malvinas conflict that year.
Six of the aircraft were lost in crashes during its service career, the type was retired from Chilean service in May 2002, they had been land-based since 1997 when the aging
Almirante Cochrane was decommissioned and scrapped.
General characteristics
Crew: 1 (pilot)
Length: 15.7 m (overall including pitot), 15.2m (excluding pitot)
Span: 8.37 m
Height: 4.07 m
Empty weight: 14,985 lb (6,797 kg)
Gross weight: 19,870 lb (9,012 kg)
Powerplant: 1x SNECMA Atar 9K-55-V turbojet engine, 10,890 lbf (48.4 kN) thrust dry, 15,800 lbf (70.2 kN) with afterburner, fitted with a swivelling exhaust nozzle and 2x Rolls-Royce/Allison XJ99 turbofan lift-jets, 9,000 lbf (40 kN) thrust each
Performance
Maximum speed: Mach 2.2
Combat range: 250 miles (400 km)
Ferry range: 1,240 miles miles (2000 km)
Service ceiling: 66,000 ft (20,000 m)
Rate of climb: 238 m/s (46,800 ft/min)
Avionics
Radar: Thomson-CSF Agave
Armament
2x 30 mm (1.18 in) DEFA 553 cannon with 125 rpg
Hardpoints: 1 centreline and six underwing pylons with a capacity of 12,125 lb (5,500 kg) with provisions to carry combinations of:
Rockets: 4x Matra rocket pods with 18x SNEB 68 mm rockets each
Bombs: various
Missiles: 2x Matra R550 Magic AAMs, 2x AM.39 Exocet ASMs or 2x AS.30L ASMs
Other: reconnaissance pods or drop tanks