The Dassault M.D.320 Hirondelle was a French 14-seat utility transport aircraft of the 1960s, designed and built by Dassault Aviation, in prototype form only.
In 1967 the French Air Force, investigating replacement aircraft for the Douglas DC-3 and Beechcraft 18 twin-engine aircraft being used for light transport and pilot navigation training, solicited proposals from the French industrial community, specifying that any submittals would be powered by 650 kW (870 hp) Turbomeca Astazou turboprops.
In response to this request, Dassault designed and constructed a single prototype M.D.320, later named Hirondelle (Swallow). Design and construction were fairly rapid, due to extensive use of Dassault Falcon 20 elements such as the fuselage. The fuselage length and volume were identical to the Falcon 20, and its wing and control surfaces were adaptations of the 20.
The Hirondelle was an all-metal low-wing monoplane with swept vertical tail and slightly swept wing and tailplane, supported on a retractable tricycle undercarriage, with the main gear retracting into the engine nacelles.
The Hirondelle had a circular cross-section fuselage with accommodation for a crew of two and room for a maximum of 14 passengers with 5 round windows on each side of the pressurized cabin.
The prototype, (French civil registration F-WPXB), was powered by two Turbomeca Astazou XIVDturboprop engines mounted in wing nacelles, driving three-blade fully feathering propellers. Production aircraft would have been powered by Turbomeca Astazou XVI engines.
The airframe was designed using fail-safe principles and the wings contained integral fuel cells.
Orperational history
The prototype first flew on 11 September 1968, at Bordeaux-Mérignac.
In 1968 the French Air Force procurement office reversed its previous position and announced that it was seeking jet-powered aircraft for the DC-3/Beechcraft 18 replacement program. Thus there was no further official interest in the Hirondelle, and no further examples were constructed.
The experience gained in the Hirondelle program was applied to the subsequent Dassault Falcon 10 project, the prototype of which first flew in 1970.
The Hirondelle was the last propeller-powered aircraft to be designed by Dassault.
Specifications (M.D.320 Hirondelle)
Data from The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985)
General characteristics
Crew: 2
Capacity: 6 to 14 passengers depending on seating configuration or 1,200 kg (2,600 lb) payload
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.
Information on Hirondelle program
January 30, 2023
dassault, hirondelle, this, article, multiple, issues, please, help, improve, discuss, these, issues, talk, page, learn, when, remove, these, template, messages, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, a. This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Dassault Hirondelle news newspapers books scholar JSTOR December 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article includes a list of references related reading or external links but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations December 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message Learn how and when to remove this template message The Dassault M D 320 Hirondelle was a French 14 seat utility transport aircraft of the 1960s designed and built by Dassault Aviation in prototype form only M D 320 HirondelleRole Utility transportManufacturer Dassault AviationFirst flight 11 September 1968Number built 1 Contents 1 Design and development 2 Orperational history 3 Specifications M D 320 Hirondelle 4 See also 5 ReferencesDesign and development EditIn 1967 the French Air Force investigating replacement aircraft for the Douglas DC 3 and Beechcraft 18 twin engine aircraft being used for light transport and pilot navigation training solicited proposals from the French industrial community specifying that any submittals would be powered by 650 kW 870 hp Turbomeca Astazou turboprops In response to this request Dassault designed and constructed a single prototype M D 320 later named Hirondelle Swallow Design and construction were fairly rapid due to extensive use of Dassault Falcon 20 elements such as the fuselage The fuselage length and volume were identical to the Falcon 20 and its wing and control surfaces were adaptations of the 20 The Hirondelle was an all metal low wing monoplane with swept vertical tail and slightly swept wing and tailplane supported on a retractable tricycle undercarriage with the main gear retracting into the engine nacelles The Hirondelle had a circular cross section fuselage with accommodation for a crew of two and room for a maximum of 14 passengers with 5 round windows on each side of the pressurized cabin The prototype French civil registration F WPXB was powered by two Turbomeca Astazou XIVD turboprop engines mounted in wing nacelles driving three blade fully feathering propellers Production aircraft would have been powered by Turbomeca Astazou XVI engines The airframe was designed using fail safe principles and the wings contained integral fuel cells Orperational history EditThe prototype first flew on 11 September 1968 at Bordeaux Merignac In 1968 the French Air Force procurement office reversed its previous position and announced that it was seeking jet powered aircraft for the DC 3 Beechcraft 18 replacement program Thus there was no further official interest in the Hirondelle and no further examples were constructed The experience gained in the Hirondelle program was applied to the subsequent Dassault Falcon 10 project the prototype of which first flew in 1970 The Hirondelle was the last propeller powered aircraft to be designed by Dassault Specifications M D 320 Hirondelle EditData from The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft Part Work 1982 1985 General characteristicsCrew 2 Capacity 6 to 14 passengers depending on seating configuration or 1 200 kg 2 600 lb payload Length 12 72 m 41 ft 9 in Wingspan 14 55 m 47 ft 9 in Wing area 27 m2 290 sq ft Empty weight 2 900 kg 6 393 lb Max takeoff weight 5 400 kg 11 905 lb Powerplant 2 Turbomeca Astazou XIVD turboprop engines 690 kW 920 hp eachPerformance Maximum speed 500 km h 310 mph 270 kn Range 3 000 km 1 900 mi 1 600 nmi Service ceiling 9 000 m 30 000 ft Take off run 600 m 2 000 ft See also Edit Aviation portalAircraft of comparable role configuration and era FMA IA 50 Guarani II Dassault CommunauteReferences EditThe Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft Part Work 1982 1985 Orbis Publishing Dassault website in French Information on Hirondelle program Description of Hirondelle program Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Dassault Hirondelle amp oldid 1129327855, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
