Nord AA.20

The Nord AA.20 was a French air-to-air missile developed by Nord Aviation and one of the first of its kind to enter service in Western Europe. Development began in 1953 under a government contract, alongside the SS.10 anti-tank missile, and the missile was designated the Type 5103. It was command guided: the launching pilot steered it by eye, following a flare on its tail, while angled fixed wings gave it a steady roll and a gyroscope told the control system its orientation. A twin solid booster and a single solid fuelled sustainer rocket drove it, four interrupter blades around the nozzle steered it, and a 23 kilogram blast-fragmentation warhead was fired by a proximity fuze. Production began at Châtillon in 1956 and about 6,000 were made before it left service in 1960. It was a stepping stone toward the R.530, and its shape was reused on the AS.20 and AS.30 air-to-ground missiles.