Any Francophones care to give us a translation?
Désolé, je ne suis pas francophone mais ...
"In 1957, the Marine Nationale envisioned the adaptation of the Alizé to a remote detection of enemy ships and aircraft mission. Financing difficulties put this project on hold but it received a renewed 'impetus' in 1959.
Breguet offered 2 possible variants, both equipped with the American equipment recommended by Aéronavale (the APS 20 radar and AN/ASA 13 navigation set [Navigational Group Computer]):
- One Alizé AEW variant was to have a ventral radome, clearly inspired by the 'Skyraiders' of the US Navy. This solution would have led to significant changes to the landing gear, wing-folding (now 'out-sized' with the taller landing gear) and catapult hardware;
- Another Alizé AEW variant was to have a dorsal radome, which avoided the modifications above, but entailed the necessity of replacing the empennage with a set of twin tails to clear the radome's wake. We do not know the exact design.
A contemporary plan shows the assembly on a 'stack', as shown on the sketch page 228. But we might have had to replace it with a set of finer supports, in order to create a smaller radome wake.
It should be noted that the two solutions would also have led to differences in tactical use, with the second [variant] allowing lower flying on aircraft-detection missions. [This variant] seems to have been the preference of the design office, but it did not progress beyond a sketch and estimates of approximate weight. There was no scale model of this layout. At the time, it was possible to consider a conversion for the development of this variant, either of one the prototype Br 965s or of a 'pre-series' Br 1050, the Navy being unwilling to sacrifice any of its series [
Alizé] aircraft.
This project must have been definitively abandoned in the early 'sixties as a result of budget restrictions. However, Aéronavale continued to be interested in the problem since an AEW variant of the Dassault [MD 410] 'Spirale' was proposed in 1962. Subsequently, Breguet was asked to study specialized two-engined aircraft, which would have given rise to Br 123 projects, which will be discussed in another chapter.
Little is known about the characteristics of the Br 1050 AEW. The maximum weight announced, 8.2 tons, was a limit presumably imposed by the Marine. This weight corresponded to a two-seat aircraft, carrying 2800 liters of fuel, regardless of the location chosen for the radome, high or low."
BTW: The Br 695 mentioned was the second prototype Br.960
Vultur modified into the
Épaulard as an ASW demonstrator for the Br 1050
Alizé.
The unbuilt Br 123 was part of Marine's DAFNE programme to replace the
Alizé (along with Sud's SA-X-137). There were a bunch of variations- twin-boomed Br 123A (with radome between booms) or single-fuselage Br 123B (with a dorsal roto-dome). Both versions could be powered by two turboprops (
Darts or GE T64s) or two turbofans (Rolls-Royce, GE, or Lycoming).
The other caption reads something like this ...
"The Alizé twin-turbine project:
In late 1956 Breguet proposed, probably on its own initiative, a twin-turbine variant of the Alizé.
The wing of this project would have differed very little from that of the single engine Br 1050. But the Dart turboprop engine at the front of the fuselage, was replaced with a nose cap. Two General-Electric T-58 of 1050 hp each, were placed at the front of each wing nacelle.
The American turboprops offered the advantage of very small dimensions and, mounted flat in the nacelles, still allow sonobuoys to be carried.
The passive radar detection antennae would have been transferred to the aircraft's new nose. Crew accommodation and search radar installation would not modified in any way.
Aircraft characteristics and performance were expected to be slightly different from those of the standard Br 1050. However, they were never published. The main advantages of the twin-engine formula would have been, undeniably, increase safety on take-off and decreased operational vulnerability.
The reliability of the Dart was such that its replacement by two separate turbines seemed to be a useless luxury. This [twin-engined] version was studied primarily for its export potential."
Thanks for posting these scans