Breguet 1180 and other projects for French Minerve Program

[Deltafan]

Hi,

as possible continuation of these topics:

(I read the article. I changed the title of the topic. As said before, I cannot see my archives for a few weeks. Then I cannot compare with all the links, but I added the link concerning the Mirage F1)

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/french-secret-projects-2-bombers-patrol-and-assault-aircraft.27908/#post-303608

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/minerve-french-missile-programme.39053/

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/dassault-jericho-unmanned-bomber.16241/#post-155807

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/le-fana-de-laviation-april-2008-issue-mirage-mach-3-and-4-projects.3899/#post-30583

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/french-secret-projects-le-fana-de-laviation-magazine-november-2010.11318/

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/dassault-mach-3-mirage-fighter-projects.12481/

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/french-projects-heaven-le-mirage-f1-et-les-mirage-de-seconde-generation.2205/

I open this topic on an article from the French magazine Le Fana de l'Aviation for the month of April (free Facebook page of the magazine):

The secrets of French nuclear power

In the mid-1960s, French aircraft manufacturers secretly studied nuclear bombers to replace the Mirage IV, including the Breguet 1180.

The Breguet Minerve was much larger than the Mirage IV, which it was to succeed.

 

[Archibald]

Great Scott ! It's Christmas in April. I remember the Breguet 1180 from Jean Cuny book: look like a giant Jaguar, more exactly a giant Breguet 121.

"Minerve" had some wild ideas and concepts and designs, TBH.

As said the Gods of Olympus "Elle minerve celle là !"

 

[klem]

By the same author Claude Carlier Mirage IV of the F.A.S.

 

[Archibald]

A) I didn't noticed the Jaguar in the background. Well done ! There was indeed a (rather logical) link between Breguet projects 1180 and 1210 (the later kind of lost its "zero" as "121", then won ECAT, and then became the Jaguar)

B) So Minerve was larger than a Mirage IVA.

Makes some sense: it was kind of return to the 1959 Mirage IVB. Canned because of foreign engines, its cost and Force de frappe emergency.

With the Mirage IVA into service by October 1964 with its well known range limits, it make some sense the temptation of a Mirage IVB (= a French B-58, really) came back.

With a notable difference however: a standoff missile.

Which in turn led to the ASMP a decade later, for the ACF and Mirage IVP, Mirage 2000D [ and Rafale nowadays.]

What really happened however was that solid-fuel IRBMs (plateau d'Albion) and SLBMs (M1 to M50 family) were the "real deal". This had been acknowledged as early as 1958 - but France getting the technology was a long and arduous road, linked to NATO MLF Polaris at some point - but De Gaulle staunchly refused any French Nassau agreement. JFK's europeanists Deans (Archeson and Rusk) tried hard, but it went nowhere.

Mirage IVA, bombers, were seen only as a stopgap for a Force de frappe early IOC by 1964.
SLBMs into nuclear subs were the ultimate objective: reached in March 1972 with the Redoutable first patrol.

Nowadays the FDF is first and foremost the boomers - with some ASMP-A for better flexibility, on top of that. Everything else (tac nukes on tac missiles and aircraft, Plateau d'Albion) has been scrapped in the 1990's.

(in passing, this week France has
a) made a fully successfull test of an upgraded ASMP-A from a Rafale
and
b) put at sea three out of four boomers: something unseen since 1988.

You have a message, Vlad Putin... Note: this is not a pathetic attempt at dragging this thread into present day events. Just noted these two facts in passing.)

 

[Manuducati]

From Julien Lepelletier art page again.

 

[fightingirish]

From Julien Lepelletier art page again.

Source and Link: https://lepelletier.artstation.com/projects/nEvXzE?album_id=749579
Here a 3-view of the Breguet Br. 1180.

 

[Deltafan]

After reading of the article.

We can see too as drawings :

-the 2 views shown above by Manuducati (by Breguet)
-the 3 views shown above by fightingirish (by Breguet)
-the ballistic missile Matra 600 (by Breguet)
-the Breguet 1191 strategic bomber, derived from the Breguet 1150 Atlantic (by Jean Cuny)
-3 views of the Dassault Minerve V (by Dassault)
-3 views of the Dassault Minerve VI B (by Dassault)
-a Sud-Aviation cruise missile on the Mirage IV (by Dassault)
-3 views of the Nord Minerve (by Alain Ratinaud, our SPF forumer alanqua)

Also mentioned :

Airplanes :

-Sud Aviation derivative of Concorde
-Breguet 1190
-Dassault-Sud Aviation Super Caravelle
-Dassault Super Mirage
-Dassault Mirage IVC22

Missiles :

-Sud Aviation Robot
-Sud Aviation Casseur
-E6B (Dassault ? Sud-Aviation ? Other ?)
-Matra 621
-Dassault Gamma

 

[Archibald]

Sud Aviation derivative of Concorde

I knew it existed somewhere: a Concorde bomber. Unbelievable !

 

[Silencer1]

Sud Aviation derivative of Concorde

I knew it existed somewhere: a Concorde bomber. Unbelievable !

This nice book contains some info about the missile-armed Concord' derivative.

 

[hesham]

Airplanes :

-Sud Aviation derivative of Concorde

I didn't see it in many books about Concorde ?!.

 

[Manuducati]

There is also this model, said to be linked to the Minerve program, but I have no more information about it. Could be a what-if from a modeller, a quick reverse search brings nothing.

 

[fightingirish]

Dassault Minerve V desk model

 

[Deltafan]

Airplanes :

-Sud Aviation derivative of Concorde

I didn't see it in many books about Concorde ?!.

Probably this one or a derivative :

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/french-secret-projects-2-bombers-patrol-and-assault-aircraft.27908/post-311508

 

[Deltafan]

There is also this model, said to be linked to the Minerve program, but I have no more information about it. Could be a what-if from a modeller, a quick reverse search brings nothing.

Dassault Minerve V desk model

It's in three links that I give above (FSP 2, Mirage F1, SPF topic on FSP 2), and as 3 views drawing in the article of le Fana.

Today we are more on Dassault Minerve VI (the book on the Mirage F1 and the last answer of Mr. Carbonel in the French Secret Projects 2 topic) and even VI B in the article of le Fana. The Dassault Minerve V is a "big Mirage IV" delta project.

 

[Archibald]

After reading of the article.

We can see too as drawings :

-the 2 views shown above by Manuducati (by Breguet)
-the 3 views shown above by fightingirish (by Breguet)
-the ballistic missile Matra 600 (by Breguet)
-the Breguet 1191 strategic bomber, derived from the Breguet 1150 Atlantic (by Jean Cuny)
-3 views of the Dassault Minerve V (by Dassault)
-3 views of the Dassault Minerve VI B (by Dassault)
-a Sud-Aviation cruise missile on the Mirage IV (by Dassault)
-3 views of the Nord Minerve (by Alain Ratinaud, our SPF forumer alanqua)

Also mentioned :

Airplanes :

-Sud Aviation derivative of Concorde
-Breguet 1190
-Dassault-Sud Aviation Super Caravelle
-Dassault Super Mirage
-Dassault Mirage IVC22

Missiles :

-Sud Aviation Robot
-Sud Aviation Casseur
-E6B (Dassault ? Sud-Aviation ? Other ?)
-Matra 621
-Dassault Gamma

Casseur : "breaker" as in: somebody who breaks something (thank you, Captain Archibald Ovious LOL) so more like "destroyer", in passing. And with nukes, it was sure to destroys a lot of things.

 

[klem]

Projet "Minerve" in "le Fana de L 'Aviation".