Aérospatiale N 262

The Aérospatiale N 262, also called the Nord 262 and in its military form the Frégate, is a French twin-turboprop high-wing regional airliner. It grew out of the Max Holste MH.260 Super Broussard, a DC-3 replacement that found no buyers until Nord Aviation took over the programme and redesigned it with a pressurised circular fuselage seating 26 passengers, with room for 29. The first prototype flew on 24 December 1962 and the airliner entered service with Air Inter in September 1964. Most early sales went to military customers, and the N 262D was marketed as the Frégate. Nord Aviation merged into Aérospatiale in 1970. A US conversion, the Mohawk 298, fitted Pratt and Whitney Canada turboprops for Allegheny Airlines.