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The Aerospatiale (Sud-Aviation) SE-210 Caravelle 6R is a twin-engine jet airliner for three
crew and up to 80 passengers. The Caravelle was the outcome of a specification issued in November 1951 by the French
Secretariat General of Commercial and Civil Aviation for a 1600 to 2000km range airliner
with a 6000 to 7000kg payload requirement at a speed of 620km/h. Six major French aircraft
constructors submitted design proposals. The S.N.C.A. du Sud-Est responded with two projects:
one a triple Atar-design with three rear mounted SNECMA Atar turbojets, designated the X120
and the other based on the use of two as yet undeveloped by-pass engines, designated the X210.
This design then matured to feature two rear mounted Rolls-Royce Avon R.A.26 engines. In
January 1953 the French government ordered two flying and two static prototypes of the twinjet.
The prototype of the Sud-Est SE-210 Caravelle, F-WHHH, was first flown on 27/05/1955, followed
by the second prototype, F-WHHI, on 16/05/1956. On the 1st September 1956 the S.N.C.A. du
Sud-Est was merged with the S.N.C.A. du Sud-Oest into Sud-Aviation. The first production machine,
the Sud-Aviation SE-210 Caravelle I F-WHRA, was flown on 18/05/1958, and the initial production
series, the Caravelle I and IA with Rolls-Royce Avon 522 and 526 engines
respectively, entered service with Air France and S.A.S. in mid-1959.
These Caravelle I and IA have been converted to Caravelle III standards
with the Rolls-Royce Avon RA.29 mk527's. The first production Caravelle
III being the 24th Caravelle which flew on December 30, 1959. This model
offers standard accommodation for 64-80 passengers, and was supplanted
in production by the Caravelle VI-N and VI-R with the Avon 531s and Avon
533Rs respectively. The first Caravelle VI-N flew on September 10, 1960,
followed by the VI-R on February 6, 1961. The Caravelle 10B introduced
more fuel efficient Pratt & Whitney JT8D turbofans, while the 11R was a
convertible passenger/freighter based on the 10. The ultimate Caravelle
model was the Caravelle 12, It was stretched 3.21 m over the Caravelle 10
and could seat up to 128 single class passengers. When production ended in 1973,
a total of 282 SE-210 Caravelles were built, including 20 Caravelle I;
12 Caravelle 1A; 78 Caravelle 3 (including 31 upgraded from 1/1A);
53 Caravelle 6N; 56 Caravelle 6R; 20 Caravelle 10B1R; 22 Caravelle 10B3;
1 Caravelle 10R; 6 Caravelle 11R and 12 Caravelle 12.
On January 1st, 1970 three French nationalised aircraft companies - Sud-Aviation, Nord Aviation and the missile manufacturing company, SEREB - were
merged into Aérospatiale. |
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