Dassault - Breguet Super Étendard The Dassault - Breguet Super Étendard ( " Étendard " is French for " battle flag " ) is a French carrier - borne strike fighter aircraft designed by Dassault - Breguet for service with the French Navy . The aircraft is an advanced development of the Étendard IVM . The Super Étendard first flew in October 1974 and entered French service in June 1978 . French Super Étendards have served in several conflicts such as the Kosovo War , the War in Afghanistan and the military intervention in Libya . The Super Étendard was also operated by Iraq and Argentina , who both deployed the aircraft during wartime . The Super Étendard was used by Iraq to attack oil tankers and merchant shipping in the Persian Gulf during the Iraq - Iran War . Argentina ' s use of the Super Étendard and the Exocet missile during the 1982 Falklands War led to the aircraft gaining considerable popular recognition . In French service , the Super Étendard is to be replaced by the Dassault Rafale by roughly 2016 . Development . The Super Étendard is a development of the earlier Étendard IVM that was originally to have been replaced by a navalised version of the SEPECAT Jaguar ( the Jaguar M ) , until this plan was stalled by political problems , together with problems with operating the Jaguar aboard ships , including handling problems when flying on a single engine and poor throttle response that made landing back on a carrier after an engine failure difficult . The Jaguar M was formally cancelled by the French government in 1973 . Proposed replacement aircraft for the Jaguar M included the LTV A - 7 Corsair II and the Douglas A - 4 Skyhawk , and Dassault had its own proposal to meet the requirement - the Super Étendard . The Super Étendard was essentially an improved version of the existing Étendard IVM , outfitted with a more powerful engine , a new wing and improved avionics . Dassault ' s proposal was accepted by the French Navy in 1973 , the Super Étendard . The first of three prototypes , an IVM modified with the new engine and some of the new avionics , made its maiden flight on 28 October 1974 . Original intentions were for 100 Super Étendard aircraft to be ordered for the French Navy , however the order placed was for 60 of the new model with options for a further 20 ; further budget cuts lead to only 71 Super Étendards being purchased in the end , with deliveries starting in June 1978 . In the first year of production , 15 Super Étendards were produced for the French Navy , allowing the formation of the first squadron in 1979 . Dassault produced the aircraft at a rough rate of two per month . The Argentinian Navy placed an order for 14 aircraft to meet their requirements for a capable new fighter that could operate from their sole aircraft carrier . All manufacturing activity was completed in 1983 . Design . The Super Étendard is a small , single - engined , mid - winged aircraft with an all - metal structure . Both the wings and tailplane are swept , with the folding wings having a sweepback of about 45 degrees , while the aircraft is powered by a non - afterburning SNECMA Atar 9K - 50 turbojet with a rating of 49 kN ( 11 , 025 lbf ) . The main new weapon of the Super Étendard was the French anti - shipping missile , the Aérospatiale AM 39 Exocet . It featured a Thomson - CSF Agave radar which , amongst other functions , was essential to launch the Exocet missile . One of the major technical advances of the Super Étendard was its onboard UAT - 40 central computer ; this managed most mission - critical systems , integrating navigational data and functions , radar information and display , and weapons targeting and controls . In the 1990s , significant modifications and upgrades were made to the type , including an updated UAT - 90 computer and a new Thomson - CSF Anemone radar ; which provided nearly double the range of the previous Agave radar . Other upgrades at this time included an extensively redesigned cockpit with HOTAS controls , and airframe life extension work was undertaken ; a total of 48 aircraft received these upgrades , at a rate of 15 per year . During the 2000s , further improvements included significantly improved self - defence ECM capability to better evade enemy detection and attacks , cockpit compatibility with night vision goggles , a new inertial data system partly integrating GPS , and compatibility with the Damocles Laser designator pod . The Super Étendard could also deploy tactical nuclear weapons ; initially these were unguided gravity bomb s only , however , during the 1990s the Super Étendard was extensively upgraded , enabling the deployment of the Air - Sol Moyenne Portée , a ramjet - powered air - launched nuclear missile . The aircraft was also refitted with the ability to operate a range of laser - guided bombs and , to enable the type to replace the retiring Étendard IV in the reconnaissance mission , the Super Étendard was fitted to carry a specialist reconnaissance pod as well . However , the aircraft is unable to perform naval landings without jettisoning unexpended ordnance . Operational history . Argentina . The Argentine Naval Aviation decided to buy 14 Super Étendards in 1980 , after the United States put an arms embargo in place — due to the Dirty War — and refused to supply spare parts for their A - 4Q Skyhawks . Between August and November 1981 , five Super Étendards and five Exocets were shipped to Argentina . The Super Étendards , armed with Exocet anti - ship missiles , would play a key role in the Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 . The squadron was stationed at an air base on the Rio Grande ; during the conflict , the threat posed to British naval forces led to the planning of Operation Mikado and other proposed infiltration missions to raid the air base , aiming to destroy the Super Étendards to prevent their use . A first attempt to attack the British fleet was made on 2 May 1982 , but this was abandoned due to flight - refuelling problems . On 4 May , two Super Étendards , guided by a Lockheed P - 2 Neptune , launched one Exocet each at the British destroyer , with a single missile fatally striking " Sheffield " . On 25 May , another attack by two Super Étendards resulted in two missiles hitting the merchant ship " Atlantic Conveyor " , which was carrying several helicopters and various other supplies to the front line . The Exocets that struck the " Atlantic Conveyor " had been inadvertently redirected by decoy chaff deployed as a defensive measure by other ships ; both the " Sheffield " and the " Atlantic Conveyor " sank as a result of the Exocet strikes . The fifth missile was launched in an attack intended to strike against the British aircraft carrier . Following the end of the conflict , by 1984 Argentina had been able to complete the delivery of the full 14 Super Étendards ordered as well as a number of Exocets with which to arm them . Super Étendards performed qualifications on aircraft carrier ARA 25 de Mayo until the ship ' s final retirement . Since 1993 , Argentinian pilots have practised on board the neighbouring Brazilian Navy ' s aircraft carrier São Paulo . Touch - and - go landing exercises were also common on US Navy carriers during Gringo - Gaucho manoeuvres and joint exercises . In 2009 , an agreement was signed between Argentina and France to upgrade Argentina ' s remaining fleet of Super Étendards . An earlier proposal to acquire former French Naval Super Étendards was rejected due to high levels of accumulated flight hours , instead equipment and hardware was removed from retiring French airframes and installed into Argentinian aircraft , effectively upgrading them to the Super Etendard Modernise ( SEM ) standard . As of 2012 , 11 Super Étendards remain in service with Argentina . France . Deliveries of the Super Étendard to the French Navy started in 1978 , with the first squadron , " Flottille 11F " becoming operational in February 1979 . In total , three operational squadrons and a training unit were equipped with the Super Étendard . The Super Étendards would operate from both of France ' s aircraft carriers at that time , the " Clemenceau " and the " Foch " ; either carrier ' s air wing typically comprised 16 Super Étendards , 10 F - 8 Crusader s , 3 Étendard IVP s , 7 Breguet Alizé anti - submarine aircraft , as well as numerous helicopters . The first operational missions took place in Lebanon during Operation Olifant . On 22 September 1983 , French Navy Super Étendards operating from the " Foch " bombed and destroyed Syrian forces positions after a few artillery rounds were fired at the French peace keepers . On November 10 , a Super Etendard escaped from being hit by a Syrian SA - 7 MANPADS near Bourj el - Barajneh while flying over Druze positions . On 17 November 1983 , the same airplanes attacked and destroyed an Islamic Amal training camp in Baalbeck after a terrorist attack on French paratroopers in Beirut . From 1991 , the original combat - orientated Étendard IVMs were withdrawn from French service ; though the reconnaissance version of the Étendard IV , the IVP remained in service until July 2000 . In response , the Super Étendards underwent a series of upgrades throughout the 1990s to add new capabilities and update existing systems for action in the modern battlefield . Designated " Super Étendard Modernisé " ( SEM ) , the first combat missions for the type came during NATO ' s " Allied Force " operations over Serbia in 1999 ; it was reported that over 400 combat missions were flown with 73 % of the assigned objectives destroyed : the best performance of all the air forces involved in the missions over Serbia . The SEM also flew strike missions in Operation Enduring Freedom . " Mission Héraclès " starting 21 November 2001 saw the deployment of the " Charles de Gaulle " and its Super Étendards in Afghanistan . Operation Anaconda , starting on 2 March 2002 saw extensive use of the Super Étendard in support of French and allied ground troops . Super Étendards returned to operations over Afghanistan in 2007 and 2008 . One of their main roles was to carry laser designation pods to illuminate targets for Dassault Rafale s . In March 2011 , Étendards were deployed as a part of Task Force 473 , during France ' s Opération Harmattan in support of UN resolution 1973 during the Libyan conflict . They were paired again with Dassault Rafales on interdiction missions . Today , all Super Étendards in French naval aviation are in one " flottille " ( squadron ) called flottille 17F All Super Étendards are expected to be retired from French service by 2016 , to be replaced from 2006 onwards with Dassault ' s Rafale M . Iraq . A total of five Super Étendards were loaned to Iraq in 1983 while the country was waiting for deliveries of Agave - equipped Dassault Mirage F1 s capable of launching Exocet missiles that had been ordered ; the first of these aircraft arrived in Iraq on 8 October 1983 . The provision of Super Étendards to Iraq was politically controversial , the United States and Iraq ' s neighbour Iran were vocal in their opposition while Saudi Arabia supported the loan ; the aircraft were seen as an influential factor in the 1980 - 1988 Iraq - Iran War as they could launch Exocet strikes on Iranian merchant shipping traversing the Persian Gulf . The Super Étendards began maritime operations over Persian Gulf in March 1984 ; a total of 34 attacks were carried out on Iranian shipping through the rest of 1984 . Iraq would typically deploy the Super Étendards in pairs , escorted by Mirage F1 fighters from bases in Southern Iraq ; once inside the mission zone , the Super Étendards would search for targets using their onboard radar and engage suspected tankers at long range without visual identification . While tankers would typically be struck by a launched Exocet , they were often only lightly damaged by a successful hit . In April 1984 , an Iraqi Super Étendard was claimed to have been shot down by an Iranian F - 4 Phantom II over Khark Island . Separately , on 26 July and 7 August 1984 , claims of Super Étendard losses to Iranian Grumman F - 14 Tomcat s were reported . Iran would cumulatively claim a total of three Super Étendards to have been shot down by Iranian interceptors , however France would state that four out of the five leased aircraft were returned to France in 1985 . See also . Current squadrons