Dassault MD 315 Flamant

The Dassault MD 315 Flamant is a French light twin-engined transport aeroplane built shortly after the Second World War by Dassault Aviation for the French Air Force. Design work began in 1946 with the MD 303, whose prototype first flew on 26 February 1947 on two Béarn 6D engines; the production machines used two Renault 12S piston engines in a low-wing airframe with twin tail surfaces and a tricycle undercarriage. Three main versions were built: the MD 315 ten-seat colonial communication aircraft, the MD 312 six-seat transport and the MD 311 navigation trainer with a glazed nose. Deliveries ran from 1949 to 1953, and the type served for pilot and navigation training, light transport, maritime surveillance and, in the Algerian War, light ground attack. It stayed in French service until 1981.