Nord Noratlas: Француздық әскери көлік ұшағының тарихы

1949 airlifter family by Nord Aviation

The Nord Noratlas was a dedicated military transport aircraft, developed and manufactured by French aircraft manufacturer Nord Aviation. Development commenced during the late 1940s with the aim of producing a suitable aircraft to replace the numerous older types that were in service with the Armée de l'Air (French Air Force) which dated back to the Second World War. In response to a competition organised by the Direction Technique Industrielle (DTI), Nord produced their Nord 2500 proposal, which was selected as the most promising. Experiences with the first prototype, powered by Gnome Rhône 14R engines, did not impress, thus the design was revised as the Nord 2501, powered by the SNECMA built Bristol Hercules 738/9 engines instead, which was found acceptable. Accordingly, the Noratlas was introduced to service by the Armée de l'Air on 6 December 1953. Following its adoption by the Armée de l'Air, a number of other operators in both Europe and Africa chose to procure the Noratlas for their own military air services. Having found itself in a similar situation to France, the German Air Force of West Germany chose to adopt the same solution, procuring the type for their own purposes. The Israeli Air Force, the Hellenic Air Force, and the Portuguese Air Force all deployed the Noratlas under combat conditions. Furthermore, operators often found a wide variety of uses for the type, extensively adapting aircraft to suit secondary roles in some cases. The Noratlas was also adopted by a number of civil operators, although most aircraft were flown by military customers. As such, several hundred aircraft were produced during the Noratlas' production run, which lasted over a decade.

Following the end of the Second World War, the French Armée de l'Air was left with two primary transport aircraft: the German Junkers Ju 52, which was produced for some time in France after the end of the conflict, and the American Douglas C 47, (that was derived from the 1930s Douglas DC 3 civil airliner), which had been received from US surplus. Several different models were developed and were proposed, but ultimately were never built. Of those built, perhaps the most distinct was the civil orientated 2502, which featured additional engines in the form of a pair of wing tip mounted Turbomeca Marboré turbojets, giving it improved takeoff performance. The proposed 2506 was to have further built upon the 2502, having been intended to possess airbrakes, along with re designed flaps and height adjustable landing gear. Following an eventual production run of some 425 planes, the final Noratlas was constructed during 1961. It was succeeded and eventually replaced by the multinational Transall C 160.

The Nord Noratlas was a purpose built twin engine, twin boom transport aircraft. It featured a large pod like fuselage that was slung in between the aircraft's twin booms and indirectly attached to them via its shoulder mounted wing. Cargo was typically loaded into and unloaded from the main cabin via the rear facing clamshell doors, which were intentionally positioned close to ground level to ease freight handling. Flugzeugbau Nord had been involved in the Noratlas programme from an early stage, which was the company's first post war aviation project, having been responsible for the design and manufacture of the majority of the aircraft's fuselage. According to author John P. Cann, if the Noratlas in German service had a weakness, it was that the fleet was furnished with four different sets of cockpit instrumentation and electronic systems as a result of its complex procurement arrangement. The favourable experience with the Noratlas gave enthusiasm for further Franco German collaborative efforts, leading directly to the larger and more advanced Transall C 160 transport aircraft. During 1959, having been suitably impressed by its use under combat conditions, the IAF purchased another three N 2501ISs; prior to the Six Day War of 1967, an additional 16 ex German Air Force N 2501Ds had also been acquired and put into service. The Noratlas fleet was primarily intended for cargo and paratroop transport, although several aircraft conducted more unconventional operations, being used as improvised bomber aircraft to perform long range strike missions into Egypt (known as Operation Drought), much as the contemporary C 130s deployed the Daisy Cutter bomb in Vietnam. Amongst the other secondary roles that the IAF are known to have used their Noratlases for included maritime reconnaissance at the outset of the Six Day War. It has been claimed that an IAF Noratlas had supposedly identified the Liberty prior to the USS Liberty Incident. During 1978, the IAF retired the last of their Noratlas fleet.

During 1970, the Hellenic Air Force (HAF) received 50 surplus Noratlases from Germany as part of a compensation package for events during the Second World War, as well as being an element of NATO organised military assistance to Greece. The HAF Noratlases were operated by the 354th Tactical Airlift Squadron, based at Elefsis AFB on the outskirts of Athens. On the night of 21–22 July 1974, multiple HAF Noratlases played a role during the Operation Niki (meaning Victory in Greek), being used to airlift the 1st Greek Rangers Squadron from Souda, Crete to Nicosia, Cyprus, as part of Greece's response to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. In spite of the aircraft's age and the adverse flying conditions present throughout, 12 of the 15 aircraft which participated in Operation Niki had managed to arrive and land at Nicosia International Airport; at least one Noratlas is believed to have been shot down by friendly fire from Greek aligned forces. Regardless, the operation had allowed the Greek 1st Rangers Squadron to help retain the Nicosia airport under the control of the United Nations and avoid its surrender to the Turkish Brigade that had attacked it.

The Portuguese Air Force operated a large number of Noratlases. During 1960, Portugal decided to purchase an initial batch of six militarized N 2502A (designated N 2502F) from French airline Union Aéromaritime de Transport (UAT). This purchase was quickly followed by six more of the same model, this time directly from Nord Aviation itself. Later on, an additional 19 N 2501Ds were purchased from the German Air Force. Overall, multiple units of the Portuguese Air Force operated the Noratlas, including Esquadra 32, based at Tancos Air Base, from 1970 to 1977, Esquadra 92, based at Luanda Air Base in Portuguese Angola, from 1961 to 1975, Esquadra 102, based at Beira Air Base in Mozambique, from 1962 to 1975, and Esquadra 123, based at Bissalanca Air Base in Portuguese Guinea, from 1969 to 1974. Between 1961 and 1975, the Portuguese Air Force extensively operated their Noratlas fleet across all three of the African theatres of operations of the Portuguese Colonial War. In this lengthy conflict, the Noratlas was primarily used to conduct the intra theatre tactical transportation missions, as well as to transport and deliver Portuguese paratroopers during airborne assault operations. Shortly following the independence of Angola and Mozambique in 1975, a batch of six ex Portuguese Noratlas were given to the governments of these two new countries. By September 1977, all of the remaining Noratlases had been withdrawn from Portuguese service.

By 1951, a civil orientated version of the Noratlas, was under development and had received multiple orders from domestic and overseas customers. Known as the N 2502A/B, it was designed to be suitable for the transportation of both passenger and cargo payloads; the principal difference between the military models and the civil variant was the addition of a pair of small Turbomeca Marboré IIE turbojets, installed within the wingtips, for the purpose of improving the type's performance during the takeoff phase of flight only. The personnel doors normally used by paratroopers were also eliminated as it was seen as lacking value to the prospective civil customers it was aimed at. The 2502 was used primarily by civil operators such as Aéromaritime de Transport (N 2502A) and CGTA Air Algérie (N 2502B). However, the Noratlas never achieved the same level of success of the military versions in the civil market; only ten aircraft of this model were ever completed. However, this model would also often end up in military service via acquisitions from civil operators; as such, it saw relatively limited service with civilian customers.

52 128 (painted as 52 133) 2501D on display at the Makedonitissa Tomb, the place where a similar aircraft crashed killing nearly all on board during the Turkish invasion of 1974.

52+37 2501D in dilapidated state, formerly used as a pub (now defunct) at Schwelm. 99+14 2501D on display at the Militärhistorisches Museum Flugplatz Berlin Gatow in Berlin. 154 2501F on display at Technik Museum Speyer in Speyer. D ACUT 2501D on display at Flugausstellung Hermeskeil in Hermeskeil. D NORA 2501F on display at Hamburg Finkenwerder Airport.

055 2501D preserved at the Israeli Air Force Museum in Hatzerim Airbase. 072 / 4X FAW 2501D preserved as a memorial at Defenders Park, Nahshon Junction near Beko'a. 4X FAE 2501D on display at the Israeli Air Force Museum in Hatzerim Airbase.

6403 2502A on display at the Museu do Ar in Sintra.