Sud-Est Baroudeur II, rough field jet- finished (more pics)

[sandiego89]

The Baroudeur, or Sud-Est 5004 was a French entrant to the 1957 NATO lightweight fighter competition.  The Baroudeur, like the me-163 before, used a take off trolly and landed on retractable skis.  This gave the aircraft the ability to operate from a variety of rough field surfaces including farm fields, snow, dirt, sand and roads.  As traditional air fields were a likely early target in any hot war, the ability to disperse aircraft and operate form austere fields was very attractive.  

Soon after the Baroudeur secured a limited contract following the NATO competition, design began for an improved version with increased performance and useful load, the Baroudeur II....

The concept- build a better Baroudeur.  I believe there is a very old limited run kit of the Baroudeur out there somewhere, but I am taking a different approach.

The victim, 1/72 Revell Mystere IV, close in overall shape and has the right French 1950's look. Will take some surgery.  

Overall shot of the kit and references, and shows that the Baroudeur 5000 was indeed a real aircraft.  My main reference is Wings of Fame, Volume II, Aerospace Publishing 1996.  




Low wing on the Mystere IV.  Will have to cut out the wing/fuselage root, cover it up and move the wing to a higher shoulder position.


Roots cut out.  Backed with styrene.  Putty next.



Belly shot.  Cut wells for the skis.  Skis retract for high speed flight and lay flush. Previous root locations blanked off and filled with putty.  



Need to open up the wings to create root mounted intakes.  Tried vampire intakes, but too small. Temped to sacrifice a hunter, but decided to use styrene.  



Intakes shaping up.

[DogfighterZen]

Looking good!   

[NARSES2]

Now this is an interesting project. I love these late 40's through 50's projects. They all had some individuality and their own personalities (some of which were weird  ) before the homogenisation which came with computer design.

Gee I'm starting to show my age 

[Dizzyfugu]

Cool project - I like the air intake solution a lot! 

[loupgarou]

Interesting project. And the step-by-step photos are useful too, thanks.

[sandiego89]

Thank you all.  Wings about done, still need some intake work.

Some nose work, with A Red Arrows Hawk providing the pointy end.  Needs some sculpting to get the shape down a bit.





Moving the horizontal stab up the on the tail.  Blanked off the original mounting slot, had to scribe off heavy hinge plates.

[jcf]

Now this is an interesting project. I love these late 40's through 50's projects. They all had some individuality and their own personalities (some of which were weird  ) before the homogenisation which came with computer design.

Gee I'm starting to show my age 

You mean like the McDonnell Phantom II which was designed, simulated and tested, in the 1950s mind
you, almost entirely with computers? 

The effect of computers on 'modern' aircraft design is much older than most folks realize, I think
the 'homogenization' you're thinking of Chris is the domination of digital processing computational
fluid dynamics that has been the major force of the last four decades. It is the domination of a
purely mathematical version of form follows function. Unlike the practical available structural
technology driven 'form follows function' version of an earlier age that produced things like the
Blackburn Blackburn. 

[NARSES2]

Yup Jon

It's the latter version of computer design you refer to that I mean. Mind you I wasn't aware the Phantom was done almost entirely by computer. I was aware they would have been available but not how much they were used. Mind you back then I suppose they were big main frame jobs fed data via cards or tapes ? I remember in the bank in the 60's those old double shot NCR machines and having to feed the tape into the reader to transmit the data to HO every night.

As I said I'm getting old 

[Captain Canada]

Great stuff ! Neat idea and nioce to see it coming along so quickly.

[Rheged]

Yup Jon

It's the latter version of computer design you refer to that I mean. Mind you I wasn't aware the Phantom was done almost entirely by computer. I was aware they would have been available but not how much they were used. Mind you back then I suppose they were big main frame jobs fed data via cards or tapes ? I remember in the bank in the 60's those old double shot NCR machines and having to feed the tape into the reader to transmit the data to HO every night.

As I said I'm getting old 

You're NOT getting old, you are maturing! 

I can remember feeding data cards into an awesomely huge device at University.....One card slightly bent or folded and the whole operation ground to a halt........and when the punched tape broke....."£$^*%^%$^%^*&£"*(*%%$$???!"  said the technician.  Which is pretty much what a Baroudeur pilot must have said when he'd just demonstrated landing on a ploughed field

[sandiego89]

....."£$^*%^%$^%^*&£"*(*%%$$???!".  Which is pretty much what a Baroudeur pilot must have said when he'd just demonstrated landing on a ploughed field

My French is non-existant, and I think it is only a sterotypical phrase but perhaps "sacre blue" would also work here for our Baroudeur pilot...

My reference on the Baroudeur actually indicates that the trials on various surfaces went without much issue, perhaps surprisingly.  Cant' imagine what it did to ones' spine however.  Even farm fields and sand beaches went fine.  The Baroudeur was demonstrated even taking off without the trolly, skis only- it took some oomphff to get it going, but no issue once it got up to speed.  Who needs fancy wheels?   

[PR19_Kit]

  Who needs fancy wheels?   

The ground crew when they're trying to get the darn thing under cover when the bad guys come a-chasing?

[PR19_Kit]

  Who needs fancy wheels?   

The ground crew when they're trying to get the darn thing under cover when the bad guys come a-chasing?

That is what the trolley is for. Providing they can get it onto it before they arrive...

Exactly, and trollies have wheels. Sandiego89 asled 'Who needs wheels?'...............

[sandiego89]

 Who needs fancy wheels?    

The ground crew when they're trying to get the darn thing under cover when the bad guys come a-chasing?

That is what the trolley is for. Providing they can get it onto it before they arrive...

Exactly, and trollies have wheels. Sandiego89 asled 'Who needs wheels?'...............

Ahh I was being tounge-in cheek there with the "who needs" comment, was just trying to elaborate that they tried some take offs without the trolly.  Interestingly the trolly could also stay attached and be ferried under the Baroudeur to take to a dispersal site- at a greatly reduced mach number  

The trolly will indeed be needed for normal ops.  I will have to make one out from scratch.

I can't think of a trolly/skid-equipped aircraft that ever really turned out to be practical, especially for ground handling: me-163, early Arado-234, SeaDart without the flip down wheels....Good thing this is WHIF....  

[loupgarou]

If you want to see the real Baroudeur, it's in the reserves of the french Musée de l'air, Le Bourget (Paris).


The reserves are open to the public only once a year, and it will be just next weekend. 
http://www.museeairespace.fr/journees-patrimoine-2014/

I wouldn't miss the occasion, if I were you.