Dassault Ouragan (l) and Mystere (r)
Model Airplane News Cover Art for October, 1946 and August, 1952
by Jo Kotula
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The Mystere represents the evolution of French jet fighter design in the post-WWII period.

As citizens of an occupied country, the French were not able to contribute significantly to the great strides made in aircraft design made during World War II. After the war, aviation designer Marcel Dassault was eager to re-establish the aviation industry with an all-French jet fighter, the Oragan (French: Hurricane), the first French designed jet fighter to enter production. In 1950, Dassault received an order for 150 production Ouragans, with an additional 200 ordered in the following years. The Oragan was operated by Israel, India and El Salvador as well as France, with Israeli aircraft participating both in the Suez Crisis and Six-Day War.

  

Ouragan and Mystère
left: predecesssor and successor
right: subject of the 1946 cover art
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The Dassault MD.452 Mystere was an advanced version of the Oragan, that first flew in 1951. The first prototype Mystère-I was an Oragan with a 30-degree swept wing and modified tail surfaces. The Mystere-I prototypes led to two Mystère-IIA prototypes armed with four 20 mm cannon; and then four Mystère-IIB prototypes, which were armed with two 30 millimeter revolver-type cannon. A Mystere-IIA was the first French aircraft to break Mach 1 in controlled flight (in a dive), in October 1951.

Here is a video of the Dassault Mystere in action:

In addition to the cover of Model Airplane News, this airplane was also featured in the WINGS "Friend or Foe" trading card series of the early 1950s

Trading card representation of the Dassault Ouragon
Click Here to see all 200 cards in the series
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Click Here for more information about the Dassault Mystere.

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