Dassault Communauté
| Company type | Aircraft prototype |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Founded | 1950s |
| Founder | Dassault Aviation |
| Headquarters | France |
| Products | Light turboprop transport aircraft |
The Dassault MD.415 Communauté was a French twin-engine light turboprop transport monoplane developed during the 1950s by Dassault Aviation. Only a single prototype was constructed and flown.
Development
In the late 1950s, Dassault created the MD.415 Communauté as a possible successor to the Dassault MD 315 Flamant for roles including training, command transport, and medical evacuation. This low-wing monoplane incorporated retractable tricycle landing gear and accommodated two crew members alongside up to ten passengers. Propulsion was provided by two Turbomeca Bastan turboprop engines mounted on the wings. The prototype, designated F-WJDN, conducted its maiden flight on 10 May 1959.
A military version named the MD.410 Spirale shared approximately 90% of its components with the Communauté but featured modifications such as the removal of side windows, installation of transparent panels in the nose, and the addition of underwing hardpoints for armaments. This variant was intended for missions involving close air support, reconnaissance, and transport.
Neither model advanced to production, and plans for a high-wing variant called the Spirale III were also discontinued.
Variants
- MD.410 Spirale
- Military prototype equipped with two Turbomeca Astazou XIVD engines; only one unit built.
- MD.415 Communauté
- Prototype designed for light transport; single example constructed.
- MD.415 Communauté A1
- A proposed collaborative development between Dassault and Sud-Aviation intended as a liaison aircraft seating eight or as a feeder-liner carrying 21 passengers over .
- MD.415 Communauté A2
- A planned version accommodating 14 seats.
- MD.415M Diplomate
- A projected larger executive transport model.
- MD.455 Spirale III
- A proposed high-wing transport derivative that was never built.