View source for Sud Aviation Super-Caravelle

{{short description|Early French design for a supersonic transport}}
{{One source|date=June 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2017}}
{{Infobox aircraft
 |name= Super-Caravelle
 |image= 
 |caption=
 |type= [[Supersonic transport]]
 |national_origin= France
 |manufacturer= [[Sud Aviation]]
 |designer= 
 |design_group= 
 |number_built= 0
 |developed_from  = 
 |variants = 
 |developed_into  = [[Concorde]]
}}

The '''Sud Aviation Super-Caravelle''' was an early design for a [[supersonic transport]]. Unlike most competing designs which envisioned larger trans-Atlantic aircraft and led to the likes of the [[Boeing 2707]], the Super-Caravelle was a much smaller, shorter range design intended to replace [[Sud Aviation]]'s earlier and successful [[Sud Aviation Caravelle|Caravelle]]. Design work started in 1960 and was announced in 1961 at the [[Paris Air Show]], but was later merged with similar work at the [[British Aircraft Corporation]] (originally the [[Bristol 223]]) to create the [[Concorde]] project in November 1962. After work had begun on designing Concorde, the Super Caravelle name was instead used on a lengthened version of the original Caravelle design, the SE-210B.

==Design==
The Super-Caravelle looks very much like a smaller version of Concorde. It used Concorde's unique [[ogive]] wing planform, and was otherwise similar in shape and layout with the exception of the nose area, which was more conventional and only the outermost section over the [[radar]] "drooped" for visibility on takeoff and landing. In normal use it was designed to carry up to 109 passengers between {{convert|2000|to|3000|km|mi|abbr=in}} at about [[Mach number|Mach 2]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fa8jAQAAMAAJ |title=Flight International |date=1966 |publisher=Illiffe Transport Publications |volume=89 |language=en |orig-date=1937}}</ref> The size and range requirements were set to make the Super-Caravelle "perfect" for [[Air France]]'s European and African routes.

Concorde was originally to be delivered in two versions, a longer-range transatlantic version similar to the Bristol 223 that was eventually delivered as Concorde, and a smaller version for shorter range routes similar to the Super-Caravelle. After consultations with prospective customers, the smaller design was dropped.

==Specifications==
{{Aircraft specs
|prime units?=met
<!--
        General characteristics
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|genhide=

|crew=
|capacity=70
|length ft=109.9
|length in=
|length note=
|span ft=112.5
|span in=
|span note=
|height ft=28.60
|height in=
|height note=
|wing area sqft=1579
|wing area note=
|aspect ratio=<!-- sailplanes -->
|airfoil=
|empty weight lb=
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|max takeoff weight kg=
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        Powerplant
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|eng1 number=4
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|power original=
|thrust original=
|eng1 kn-ab=<!-- afterburners -->
|eng1 lbf-ab=<!-- afterburners -->

|more power=

<!--
        Performance
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|perfhide=

|max speed mph=1522
|max speed note=
|max speed mach=<!-- supersonic aircraft -->
|cruise speed kmh=
|cruise speed mph=
|cruise speed kts=
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed kmh=
|stall speed mph=
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|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed kmh=
|never exceed speed mph=
|never exceed speed kts=
|never exceed speed note=
|minimum control speed kmh=826-850
|minimum control speed mph=
|minimum control speed kts=
|minimum control speed note=
|range miles=1864
|range nmi=
|range note=
|endurance=<!-- if range unknown -->
|ceiling ft=20000-40000
|ceiling note=
|g limits=<!-- aerobatic -->
|roll rate=<!-- aerobatic -->
|glide ratio=<!-- sailplanes -->
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate ftmin=
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude=
|sink rate ms=<!-- sailplanes -->
|sink rate ftmin=<!-- sailplanes -->
|sink rate note=
|lift to drag=
|wing loading kg/m2=
|wing loading lb/sqft=
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|avionics=
}}

==See also==
{{Portal|France|Aviation}}
{{aircontent
|related =
* [[Concorde]]
|similar aircraft = 
* [[Bristol Type 223]]
* [[Boeing 2707]]
* [[Lockheed L-2000]]
* [[Tupolev Tu-144]]
|lists = 
* [[List of airliners]]
|see also =  
}}

==Further reading==
* Operators’ reference drawing [https://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1964/1964%20-%202920.PDF], [https://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1964/1964%20-%202953.PDF], [https://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1964/1964%20-%202954.PDF]
* John Wegg, ''Caravelle - The Complete Story'' 2005, Airways International Inc.

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Sud/Aérospatiale aircraft}}
{{Supersonic transport}}

[[Category:Abandoned civil aircraft projects]]
[[Category:Concorde]]
[[Category:1960s French airliners]]
[[Category:Quadjets]]
[[Category:Sud Aviation aircraft|Super Caravelle]]
[[Category:Supersonic transports]]
[[Category:Tailless delta-wing aircraft]]