Grognard
First task of SNCASE was to manufacture DH-100 Vampire for the Armee de l'air.
In 1948, the failure of the Espadon was obvious.
The Ouragan project date back from this era, but was a long term private venture by Dassault.
So the AdA bought a foreign fighter, the Vampire. It was later improved in the form of the Mistral.
SNCASE first project was a heavy fighter bomber with two engines. The project was rather audacious, with stacked engines (the only plane with the EE Lightning using this technic) and a 47° swept wing. Both engines were fed by an air intake located on the back of the plane!
The plane was named SE-2410 Grognard ( Napoleon old soldiers)
The plane flew on april 1950 and prove excellent.
A second prototype conceived as an all weather fighter flew in 1951. It was the SE-2415 Grognard II.
In the end, the Grognard was killed by a shift in requirement from the AdA, and the success of the SO-4050 Vautour.
NB
the Short-nose aircraft is the SE-2410 bomber.
the Long-nose aircraft is the SE-2415 nightfighter
(the latter had reduced sweep, as pilots were worried by a high landing speed. this also reduced performances...)
