ORIGINAL: a65l
Kind of an easy one for me, I had highlighted the D8 some months ago..
Just for a little backstory, back in the autumn/winter of 1986 I was serving on the USS John F. Kennedy with VF-14. We were on a Med cruise, and a day out from making port in a large Mediterranian country that our subject airplane was designed and built in. The weather was really rough, high winds, low clouds, but here and there patches of blue sky appeared. We weren't flying, I was up on deck doing some maintenance when I heard an airplane. Through one of those openings in the clouds this airplane appeared, making a low pass. So having given a clue as to when this airplane served,
1. It was developed from an earlier plane with a different mission.
2. It served its country for over 40 years.
3. It was bought and operated by only one other country.
And let me apologize in advance if I'm slow in getting up replies tomorrow, I'm going to be doing a little aviating myself.
Well, seeing no other takers... How about France as the Meditterranian Country; and The Breguet Br. 1050 Alize ASW aircraft, based on the Vultur attack aircraft, as the plane? It was also operated by the Indian Navy. Were you doing a joint exercise with the French? Thanks; Ernie P.
The Breguet Br.1050 Alizé (French: "Tradewind") was a French carrier-based anti-submarine warfare aircraft. It was developed in the 1950s, based loosely on the prototype Breguet Vultur attack aircraft.
The Alizé was a low-wing monoplane of conventional configuration. It had a CSF radar system with a retractable antenna dome in its belly. The cockpit accommodated a crew of three, including pilot, radar operator, and sensor operator. The pilot was seated in front on the right, the radar operator in front on the left, and the sensor operator sat sideways behind them. The landing gear was of tricycle configuration, with the main gear retracting backwards into nacelles in the wings. The main gear had dual wheels, and the front part of the nacelles accommodated sonobuoys. The Alizé had a yoke-style arresting hook.
The internal weapons bay could accommodate a homing torpedo or depth charges, and underwing stores pylons could carry bombs, depth charges, rockets, or missiles. Typical underwing stores included 68 mm (2.68 in) rocket pods or AS.12 wire-guided antiship missiles.
Role Anti-submarine aircraft
Manufacturer Breguet Aviation
First flight 6 October 1956
Introduced 29 May 1959
Retired 2000
Primary users Aviation Navale
Indian Navy
Produced 1957-1962
Number built 89