The Dassault Super Mystère is a French supersonic
fighter-bomber
A fighter-bomber is a fighter aircraft that has been modified, or used primarily, as a light bomber or attack aircraft. It differs from bomber and attack aircraft primarily in its origins, as a fighter that has been adapted into other roles, wh ...
and was the first Western European
supersonic aircraft
A supersonic aircraft is an aircraft capable of supersonic flight, that is, flying faster than the speed of sound (Mach number, Mach 1). Supersonic speed, Supersonic aircraft were developed in the second half of the twentieth century. Supersonic ...
to enter mass production.
Design and development
The Super Mystère represents the final step in evolution, which began with the
Dassault Ouragan and progressed through the
Mystère II/III and
Mystère IV. While earlier Mystère variants could attain
supersonic
Supersonic speed is the speed of an object that exceeds the speed of sound (Mach 1). For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C (68 °F) at sea level, this speed is approximately . Speeds greater than five times ...
speeds only in a dive, the Super Mystère could exceed the speed of sound in level flight. This was achieved thanks to the new thin wing with 45° of sweep (compared with 41° of sweep in the
Mystère IV and only 33° in
Mystère II) and the use of an
afterburner
An afterburner (or reheat in British English) is an additional combustion component used on some jet engines, mostly those on military supersonic aircraft. Its purpose is to increase thrust, usually for supersonic flight, takeoff, and combat ...
-equipped
turbojet
The turbojet is an airbreathing jet engine which is typically used in aircraft. It consists of a gas turbine with a propelling nozzle. The gas turbine has an air inlet which includes inlet guide vanes, a compressor, a combustion chamber, and ...
engine.
The first prototype Super Mystère B.1, powered by a
Rolls-Royce Avon
The Rolls-Royce Avon was the first axial flow jet engine designed and produced by Rolls-Royce. Introduced in 1950, the engine went on to become one of their most successful post-World War II engine designs. It was used in a wide variety of ai ...
RA.7R, took to the air on 2 March 1954. The aircraft broke the
sound barrier
The sound barrier or sonic barrier is the large increase in aerodynamic drag and other undesirable effects experienced by an aircraft or other object when it approaches the speed of sound. When aircraft first approached the speed of sound, th ...
in level flight the following day.
As the Super Mystère B2, sometimes known as the SMB2, the aircraft entered production in 1957. The production version differed from the prototype by having a more powerful
SNECMA Atar 101G engine. A total of 180 Super Mystère B2s were built.
In 1958, two Super Mystère B.4 prototypes were built. Equipped with a new 48° swept wing and a more powerful
SNECMA Atar
The Snecma Atar is a French axial-flow turbojet engine built by Snecma. It was derived from the German World War II BMW 018 design, and developed by ex-BMW engineers through a progression of more powerful models. The name is derived from it ...
9B engine, the aircraft were capable of
Mach
The Mach number (M or Ma), often only Mach, (; ) is a dimensionless quantity in fluid dynamics representing the ratio of flow velocity past a Boundary (thermodynamic), boundary to the local speed of sound.
It is named after the Austrian physi ...
1.4. Production never materialized because the faster
Dassault Mirage III
The Dassault Mirage III () is a family of single/dual-seat, single-engine, fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by French aircraft company Dassault Aviation. It was the first Western European combat aircraft to exceed Mach 2 in horizont ...
was entering service.
In 1973, the
Israeli Air Force
The Israeli Air Force (IAF; , commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial and space warfare branch of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Indep ...
and
Honduras Air Force upgraded their Super Mystère B2s with a non-afterburning version of the
Pratt & Whitney J52-P8A, extended tailpipe, and new avionics. In Israeli service these upgraded SMB2s were also known as the IAI Sa'ar (after a Hebrew word meaning "storm").
Operational history
France
The SMB2 was assigned to three fighter squadrons (5th, 10th and 12th) starting in May 1958. In November 1977, the last SMB2 of the 1/12 Cambrésis fighter squadron made its last flight, thus closing 19 years of service with the
Armée de l'Air
The French Air and Space Force (, , ) is the air force, air and space force of the French Armed Forces. Formed in 1909 as the ("Aeronautical Service"), a service arm of the French Army, it became an independent military branch in 1934 as the Fr ...
. About fifteen aircraft from this squadron were then assigned to the Rochefort air technician school. Aircraft no.90 12-YQ was assigned to the Cité de l'Air Military Training Center, at 122 Chartres-Champhol Air Base.
Israel
The
Israeli Air Force
The Israeli Air Force (IAF; , commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial and space warfare branch of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Indep ...
acquired 24 Super Mystères in 1958.
Israeli Super Mystères were involved in a controversial
incident in which the USS ''Liberty'' was attacked. The aircraft saw action in the 1967
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War, also known as the June War, 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states, primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan from 5 to 10June ...
and the 1973
Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was fought from 6 to 25 October 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states led by Egypt and S ...
in which 6 were lost.
Super Mystères were well-liked by Israeli pilots, and were regarded as good match for the
MiG-19
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 (; NATO reporting name: Farmer) is a Soviet second generation, single-seat, twinjet fighter aircraft. It was the first Soviet production aircraft capable of supersonic speeds in level flight. A comparable U.S. " Cen ...
operated by opponents in air-to-air combat.
Honduras
In 1976, Honduras bought 12 complete Super Mystère airframes from Israel. In 1979, Honduras purchased four more aircraft.
These provided air support in numerous border skirmishes with Sandinistan Nicaragua, and served until in 1996, replaced by 12 Northrop
F-5E
The Northrop F-5 is a family of supersonic light fighter aircraft initially designed as a privately funded project in the late 1950s by Northrop Corporation. There are two main models: the original F-5A and F-5B Freedom Fighter variants, and th ...
s. One Super Mystère was transferred to the Honduras Air Museum, and the remaining 11 were offered for sale as surplus.
Operators

;
*
French Air Force
The French Air and Space Force (, , ) is the air force, air and space force of the French Armed Forces. Formed in 1909 as the ("Aeronautical Service"), a service arm of the French Army, it became an independent military branch in 1934 as the Fr ...
;
*
Honduras Air Force[.]
;
*
Israeli Air Force
The Israeli Air Force (IAF; , commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial and space warfare branch of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Indep ...
**
105 Squadron
Specifications (Super Mystère B2)
See also
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dassault Super Mystere
Super Mystère
1950s French fighter aircraft
Single-engined jet aircraft
Cruciform tail aircraft
Low-wing aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1955
Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear