Detailed
design work on this new aircraft began in December, 1947
and the construction in April 1948. The Ouragan was
inspired by American designs, and had a vague resemblance
to the Republic
F-84G:
The prototype Ouragan was powered by a Rolls-Royce Nene
102 centrifugal-flow turbojet, license-built by
Hispano-Suiza.
The
French government placed an order with Dassault in late
August 1950 for 150 Ouragans which would rise to 350 with
an additional order of 200 in the future.
The
first operational Ouragans were delivered in 1952. They
were armed with four Hispano 20-mm cannon beneath the air
intake, and could carry up to a ton of stores under the
wings. Typical stores included two 450 kilogram bombs; 16
x 105 millimeter (4 inch) Matra T-10 rockets; or 8 rockets
and two 460 liter napalm
bombs.
The
Ouragan did not have a long first-line service life with
the Armee de l'Air, being phased out in favor of the
Dassault Mystere
IV
beginning in the spring of 1955. Ouragans remained in
service into the early 1960s as advanced trainers with the
FAF.
