Fouga CM.170 Magister

The Fouga CM.170 Magister is a French two-seat jet trainer of the 1950s, built by Etablissements Fouga and Cie and easily recognised by its V-tail. Design began in 1948 at Fouga under Pierre Mauboussin, Robert Castello and Jacques Henrat as the CM.130 primary trainer; the French Air Force judged its first engines too weak, so the design was enlarged and given a pair of Turbomeca Marbore turbojets. It first flew on 23 July 1952, and the first production order came on 13 January 1954. Almost 1,000 were built in France and under licence in West Germany, Israel and Finland. Mainly a trainer, it was also used as a close air support aircraft in conflicts such as the Six-Day War and the Salvadoran Civil War, and it flew with the Patrouille de France aerobatic team from 1964 to 1980. The CM.175 Zephyr was a carrier-capable version for the French Navy.