Dassault Ouragan The Dassault M . D . 450 Ouragan ( ) was the first French - designed jet fighter - bomber to enter production , playing a key role in resurgence of the French aviation industry after World War II . The Ouragan was operated by France , Israel , India and El Salvador . While in Israeli service it participated in both the Suez Crisis and the Six - Day War . Design and development . As citizens of an occupied country , the French were not able to contribute significantly to the great strides made in aircraft design made during World War II . After the war , aviation designer Marcel Dassault was eager to re - establish the aviation industry with an all - French jet fighter , which was outlined in 1947 . The government response to the proposal was positive and prototype construction began soon after the design was finalized . Detailed design work on the new aircraft , which was given the designation M . D . ( Marcel Dassault ) 450 , began in October 1947 , with construction beginning on 7 April 1948 at Dassault ' s factory in Saint - Cloud . The Ouragan was smaller and lighter than the Thunderjet and had a thin wing similar to the one used by the Lockheed F - 80 Shooting Star . A French government contract for three prototypes followed on 7 December 1947 . The first Ouragan fighter flew on 28 February 1949 with Kostia Rozanoff at the controls . The M . D . 450 - 01 prototype lacked pressurization , armament , and the distinctive wingtip fuel tanks . Powered by a Rolls - Royce Nene 102 centrifugal - flow jet engine generating 22 . 27 kN ( 2 , 270 kp / 5 , 000 lbf ) of thrust , the aircraft reached a top speed of 980 km / h ( 529 knots , 609 mph ) and initial climb rate of 43 m / s ( 8 , 465 ft / min ) in service trials in 1949 . The 450 liter ( 118 . 9 US gal ) wingtip tanks that would become the indelible feature of all Ouragans first appeared in December 1949 . The pressurized second prototype , M . D . 450 - 02 , climbed to 15 , 000 m ( 49 , 213 ft ) , while the third prototype , M . D . 450 - 03 , was powered by a Hispano - Suiza - licensed Nene 104 was used in weapons trials with 15 mm and later 20 mm cannon . In 31 August 1949 , French Air Force ordered 15 pre - production aircraft ( later reduced to 12 ) , which were eventually used for evaluation of various engines ( including SNECMA Atar ) , armament schemes , and payloads . The contract was signed on 15 December 1949 . These aircraft were to be produced at Dassault ' s plants outside Paris . On 31 August 1950 , Dassault received an order for 150 production Ouragans , with an additional 200 ordered in the following years . Four production aircraft modified for rough - field operation with the two - wheel main landing gear with low - pressure tires retracting into a fairing added under the wing roots , and a brake parachute . The configuration was intended for operations in Algeria , and the nickname came from the Arab word " baroud , " meaning " battle . " First flight 24 February 1954 . Despite good performance , the project was abandoned in 1958 with two aircraft converted back to standard Ouragans . Operational history . Armee de l ' Air . In August 1950 , before delivery of the first pre - production aircraft , the French government placed an order for 150 Ouragans , although the initial order was to have been 850 Ouragans . " Armee de l ' Air " would subsequently order 200 additional Ouragans , with Dassault being strained to build them as fast as possible . The first production Ouragan flew on 5 December 1951 . The type entered service with the French Air Force in 1952 , replacing the British De Havilland Vampire . The first 50 Ouragans were built as M . D . 450A with the Nene 102 engine ; the rest were M . D . 450B with a Hispano - Suiza - built Nene 104B engine , lighter than the Nene 102 and with slightly greater thrust . Wingtip fuel tanks were fitted as standard in both variants . Pilots found the Ouragan to be generally pleasant to fly and a stable gun and rocket platform , although due to its short - coupled fuselage , the aircraft had a tendency to snap into a spin in tight turns . However , for two years , the Ouragan successfully performed with la Patrouille de France aerobatic team . Several production Ouragans were modified for rough field operation , single - wheel main gear changed to a two - wheel configuration fitted with low pressure tires , retracting into a fairing added under the wing roots . These aircraft were also fitted with brake parachutes . This configuration was intended for combat operations in Algeria , and aircraft so fitted were nicknamed " Barougans " , from the Arabic word " baroud " ( battle ) . However , nothing came of the project , and some of the test aircraft were reconverted back to standard Ouragan configuration . In French service , the Dassault Mystère IV completely replaced the Ouragan by 1961 . India . On 25 June 1953 , India ordered 71 Ouragans with the slightly uprated Nene 105 engine , with deliveries starting that year and completed in March 1954 . An additional order for 33 second - hand Ouragans in March 1957 brought the total to 104 . Selection of the Dassault Ouragan fighter from France at this time reflected the decision to initiate diversification of supply sources . The Indians named the aircraft " Toofani " ( ) . The Indian Toofanis faced combat in 1961 , when they performed air strikes against the Portuguese territory of Diu on the western coast of the Indian sub - continent . They were also used in ground attack missions against anti - government rebels in Assam and Nagaland , and in 1962 for reconnaissance missions in the Sino - Indian War . One Toofani strayed over the border with Pakistan on 24 April 1965 , and was forced to land by a Pakistan Air Force ' s F - 104 Star Fighter . While the pilot was returned to India , the aircraft was retained and ended up being displayed at the Pakistan Air Force Museum at Peshawar . As was the case in France , the Ouragan started to be replaced in front - line service by the Mystère IVA in 1957 , being withdrawn fully from front line service in 1965 , although it continued in use for some years as advanced trainer and Target Tug . Israel . In contrast to France and India , the Israeli Air Force was an enthusiastic Ouragan user , as Arab air forces were buying advanced Russian arms , such as the MiG - 15 fighter . Seeking to augment its jet aircraft force of British Gloster Meteor s , IAF initially considered French Dassault Mystère IIC and Canadian - built F - 86 Sabre Mk . 6 fighters . Due to development problems with the Mystère and a Canadian embargo on the Sabres , the order was changed to Mystère IVAs , with a batch of Ouragans purchased as a stop - gap measure . By 1955 , the IAF had received at least 75 aircraft , comprising a mix of newly built and retired French Air Force examples . The Israeli Ouragans were assigned to close support operations , since they could not match the performance of Egyptian MiG - 15s . Israeli Ouragans entered combat on 12 April 1956 , shooting down an Egyptian Vampire . At the onset of the Suez Crisis on 29 October 1956 , Ouragans shot down an additional four Vampires . The two documented encounters with Soviet Mikoyan - Gurevich MiG - 15 fighters ( also powered by the Nene engine but with a more modern swept wing ) ended with one Ouragan surviving several 37 mm ( 1 . 46 in ) cannon hits to fly the next day and one MiG - 15 being heavily damaged after it entered a turning dogfight with the Ouragans . The poor training of the Egyptian pilots who were consistently unable to realize their advantage in numbers as well as the MiG - 15 ' s speed and climb characteristics helped Ouragans to survive despite their inferior performance . On 31 October , a pair of Ouragans armed with rockets strafed the Egyptian destroyer Ibrahim el Awal ( ex - HMS " Mendip " ) , resulting in the capture of the ship . The Ouragans were relegated to advanced training shortly after the Suez Crisis , although they saw more combat in the 1967 Six - Day War . In 1975 , the IAF sold 18 Ouragans to El Salvador , where they remained in service until the late 1980s . El Salvador . In the wake of the Football War of 1969 , El Salvador began a concerted push to modernize its air force . Unable to buy combat aircraft from the United States due to a US government arms embargo , the Salvadorans bought 18 surplus Israeli Ouragans on the international arms market . These aircraft were refurbished by the Israelis and were delivered to El Salvador between 1973 and 1978 . El Salvador ' s Ouragans saw extensive combat during the Salvadoran Civil War of 1980 - 1992 . Salvadoran Ouragans flew strike missions against communist FMLN forces , operating from Ilopango airport located near the capital city of San Salvador . As El Salvador is not a large country and combat radius was not a pressing concern , Salvadoran Ouragans in combat usually operated with their wingtip fuel tanks removed in order to save weight and allow for greater weapons loads . An FMLN sapper attack against Ilopango in 1982 destroyed several Ouragans and accelerated the push to supplant , and eventually replace , the Ouragans with American - made Cessna A - 37 Dragonfly aircraft , which were made available after the Reagan Administration dropped the arms embargo . The remaining Ouragans served on for several more years , but were all retired by war ' s end . Salvadoran Ouragans have been pictured in several camouflage schemes , and it is possible that during the war the Ouragan fleet operated in colors that were never completely standardized . At least one survivor of El Salvador ' s Ouragan fleet is currently on static display , at Ilopango . Operators . Numbers from " World Air Forces " Survivors . A number of MD . 450 Ouragan examples are preserved in France including # 251 and # 450 / " 4 - US " , part of the jet aircraft collection at Chateau Savigny - lès - Beaune . The Musee de l ' Air et de l ' Espace at Le Bourget Airport has # 154 / " 4 - LT " painted in a colorful " Indian - head " scheme but a previous code is just visible under the 4 - LT markings . Ouragan # 214 / " UG , " previously stored , is exhibited in the " Patrouille de France " paint scheme at the " Musée Européen de l ' Aviation de Chasse , " Montélimar . Israeli Air Force Ouragans " 80 " and " 49 " , both combat veterans and survivors of the 1956 Suez War and 1967 Six - Day War , are on outdoor display at the Israel Air Force Museum . An MD . 450 Ouragan ( Toofani ) , " IC 554 , " is on display at the Indian Air Force Museum , Palam , New Delhi . It was painted earlier in grey - green camouflage but now appears in natural metal in No . 47 " Black Archers " Squadron markings . In El Salvador , two Ouragans are in display in the Museo Nacional de Aviación , in Ilopango Air Base .