Sud Aviation SE-116 Voltigeur

Sud Aviation

Industry	Aerospace
Founded	November 1, 1957 (1957-11-01)
Headquarters	France

The Sud Aviation SE-116 Voltigeur was a twin turboprop aircraft developed in France during the late 1950s for army observation and close support roles. Production was limited to just three examples, with no mass manufacturing undertaken.

Design and development

During the 1958 Algerian War, the French military required an aircraft specialized in counter-insurgency missions, capable of reconnaissance, aerial photography, and ground attack. This demand resulted in three propeller-driven twin-engine contenders: the SIPA S.1100, Sud Aviation SE-116 Voltigeur, and subsequently the Dassault Spirale.

Originally designated as the Fonceur, the aircraft later named Voltigeur—after the French light cavalry skirmishers—was designed as a low-wing cantilever monoplane featuring straight tapered wings with square tips and a tall, wide vertical stabilizer. The first prototype was powered by nine-cylinder Wright Cyclone radial engines mounted ahead of the wing leading edges, with engine nacelles extending rearwards past the trailing edge. The second prototype substituted these with more streamlined Turbomeca Bastan turboprop engines positioned atop the wings. Its retractable tricycle landing gear folded into the engine nacelles and fuselage, incorporating dual wheels on each main gear leg to facilitate operation from rough terrain.

For improved ground observation, the Voltigeur incorporated a multi-panel glazed cockpit and nose section. Perforated airbrakes were installed behind the wing trailing edges to assist during attack runs. Armament comprised two guns alongside six underwing hardpoints designed to carry bombs and rockets.

The piston-engine variant conducted its maiden flight on 5 June 1958, followed by the turboprop model on 15 December 1958. A fatal accident occurred in January 1959 during high-speed testing due to tail flutter, leading to the termination of the program after evaluations of the SE-117 pre-production model developed in collaboration with Marcel Dassault. Concurrently, the intended fast transport project SE-118 Diplomate was also cancelled.

Variants

Information sourced from Gaillard (1990).

SE-116 Voltigeur

The initial two prototypes; one powered by Wright Cyclone radial engines, the other by Turbomeca Bastan turboprops.

SE-117 Voltigeur

The third airframe representing the first production-standard model, equipped with Turbomeca Bastan turbines and tested alongside Marcel Dassault.

SE-118 Diplomate

A proposed high-speed transport design that was ultimately shelved.

Bibliography

• Mesnard, Joël. Soldier of Misfortune: The Ill-Fated SNCASE SE.116/17 Voltigeur, The Aviation Historian, 2019, Issue 29, pp. 88–99.