[Development] Super Mystère B.2: Over the Barrier (5 - Page) ) - News

News

Super Mystère B.2: Over the Barrier

9 March 2019 Development

The Super Mystère is the final aircraft in the French Mystère family of jet fighters and the first one to attain supersonic speeds in level flight. In update 1.87 “Locked on!”, French pilots may look forward to also receiving access to rank VI aviation with the introduction of the highly anticipated Super Mystère B.2!

Briefly: The first French jet fighter to achieve supersonic speeds in level flight!

The Super Mystère was the final aircraft of the Mystère family of jet fighters, whose development history began with the creation of the Dassault Ouragan in the late 1940s. Featuring a modified design over the preceding Mystère 4 and being fitted with the new Rolls-Royce Avon afterburning turbojet engine, the resulting Super Mystère B.1 prototype became the first French supersonic jet fighter after conducting its maiden flight in March 1955.

Following the successful maiden flight of the prototype of the Super Mystère, a more refined production version of the machine was created shortly afterwards. Known as the Super Mystère B.2, the production version of the aircraft featured the SNECMA Atar 101G engine, compared to the Rolls-Royce Avon found on the prototype.

The Super Mystère B.2 entered production in 1956, with an initial contract for 150 aircraft being signed. By the end of production in 1959, around 180 Super Mystère B.2s were built out of a planned 370 units.

Entering service with the French Air Force in 1957, the Super Mystère B.2 served with French units for a good two decades before being replaced by newer and more advanced machines. Apart from its own forces, the Super Mystère B.2 was also exported and used by foreign operators. Most notably, Israel fielded some 24 Super Mystères, which had successfully proven themselves in action during the Six-Day and Yom-Kippur wars.

As the Super Mystère was slowly being phased out of French and Israeli service, Israel sold around a dozen of its Super Mystères to Honduras. In service with Honduras, the Super Mystères undertook their final missions as part of actions against Nicaraguan forces during border skirmishes before being ultimately decommissioned in 1996.

In War Thunder, the Super Mystère B.2 will introduce French pilots to the action-packed and fast-paced combat found in rank VI air battles. Fast, well armed and sporting a wide arrange of secondary armament options, the long-awaited Super Mystère will allow French pilots to take on almost any opponent in both air and combined battles alike!

Fitted with a SNECMA Atar 101G axial flow turbojet engine, generating 44.1 kN of thrust with the afterburner engaged, the Super Mystère is able to reach a top speed of around 1200 km/h (Mach 1.125) at an altitude of 11,000 m. Although its top speed seems rather average when compared to existing supersonic aircraft in the game, it coupled with silky smooth handling characteristics still make for an excellent jet fighter, capable of even beating better performing machines in the hands of a capable pilot.

Download Wallpaper:

Fun Fact: The Super Mystère wasn’t just the first French aircraft to reach supersonic speeds in level flight, but also the first Western European supersonic aircraft to enter large-scale production.

Similarly to the preceding MD.452 Mystère IIC, the Super Mystère is also armed with the same primary armament consisting of two 30mm DEFA cannons with 150 rounds available per gun. As some seasoned French pilots already know, the high rate of fire of these cannons coupled with devastating high explosive ammunition makes short work of any aircraft unfortunate enough to cross their firing line.

However, apart from the main guns, the Super Mystère is also able to carry a wide range of secondary weapons as well. These range from various unguided rocket types (some of which are fired from a launcher integrated within the underside of the fuselage) over a number of different available bomb calibers and go all the way up to guided air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles. Specifically, Super Mystère pilots will have the choice between either French AA.20 or proven American Sidewinder guided missiles when it comes their selection of preferred guided weaponry. Whichever is chosen by the pilot however, it’s worth noting that only a single pair of either of these deadly weapons can be equipped to the aircraft at any given time.