Sud Aviation Super-Caravelle
| Industry | Aerospace |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1957 |
| Headquarters | France |
| Products | Aircraft, including the Super-Caravelle and Caravelle |
The Sud Aviation Super-Caravelle represented an early French initiative in the development of a supersonic transport. In contrast to larger transatlantic designs like the Boeing 2707, this aircraft was conceived as a smaller, short-haul model intended to succeed Sud Aviation's well-known Caravelle. Its design phase commenced in 1960, with its introduction taking place at the 1961 Paris Air Show. Subsequently, this project combined with parallel developments at the British Aircraft Corporation (initially the Bristol 223) to form the foundation of the Concorde program in November 1962. After Concorde advanced, the Super-Caravelle designation was reassigned to a stretched variant of the original Caravelle, known as the SE-210B.
Design
The Super-Caravelle bore a resemblance to a scaled-down Concorde, adopting Concorde’s signature ogive wing shape. Its overall configuration was alike, except it featured a more traditional nose design; only the outer portion was designed to droop over the radar, enhancing pilot visibility during takeoff and landing phases. It was engineered to accommodate up to 109 passengers and operate at approximately Mach 2. The aircraft’s dimensions and operational range were specifically optimized for Air France’s routes within Europe and Africa.
Originally, Concorde development included plans for two variants: a long-range transatlantic version similar to the Bristol 223 and a smaller short-range model resembling the Super-Caravelle. Following feedback from potential operators, the smaller variant was ultimately abandoned.
Further reading
- Operators’ reference drawings [1], [2], [3]
- John Wegg, Caravelle - The Complete Story 2005, Airways International Inc.