Dassault Hirondelle
| Industry | Aerospace |
|---|---|
| Founded | April 22, 1929 in France |
| Headquarters | France |
| Products | Aircraft, including Dassault M.D.320 Hirondelle |
The Dassault M.D.320 Hirondelle was a French utility transport plane from the 1960s, capable of seating 14 passengers, and developed by Dassault Aviation.
Design and development
In 1967, the French Air Force issued a requirement for new aircraft to replace the Douglas DC-3 and Beechcraft 18 twin-engine models used for light transport and pilot instruction, specifying the use of Turbomeca Astazou turboprop engines.
Dassault answered this call with a single prototype named the M.D.320 or Hirondelle (meaning Swallow), which was swiftly created by modifying components from the Dassault Falcon 20. This included maintaining the same fuselage length and internal volume while altering the wings and control surfaces.
This all-metal low-wing monoplane was equipped with slightly swept wings and tailplane, a swept vertical stabilizer, retractable tricycle landing gear with main wheels retracting into engine nacelles, and a pressurized circular fuselage designed to hold two crew members and up to fourteen passengers, featuring five round windows on each side.
The prototype (registration F-WPXB) utilized two Turbomeca Astazou XIVD turboprop engines paired with three-blade fully feathering propellers; production variants were intended to be fitted with Turbomeca Astazou XVI powerplants.
The airframe was constructed following fail-safe principles and included integral fuel tanks within the wings.
Operational history
The Hirondelle prototype made its maiden flight on 11 September 1968 at Bordeaux-Mérignac.
Later that year, the French Air Force redirected its interest towards jet-powered aircraft as replacements for the DC-3 and Beechcraft 18, which resulted in the cancellation of further Hirondelle production.
Insights gained from the Hirondelle project contributed to the creation of the Dassault Falcon 10, which first flew in 1970.
Notably, the Hirondelle marked Dassault's final venture into propeller-driven aircraft design.