Nord 1500 Griffon

Nord 1500 Griffon
Griffon II in the Musée de l'air et de l'espace
Role	Experimental interceptor Type of aircraft
National origin	France
Manufacturer	Nord Aviation
First flight	20 September 1955
Retired	1961
Number built	2

The Nord 1500 Griffon was an experimental ramjet-powered interceptor aircraft designed and built by French state-owned aircraft manufacturer Nord Aviation. The Griffon was developed to become a Mach 2 follow on to the supersonic Nord Gerfaut research aircraft. Development of the aircraft began in earnest after the receipt of a letter of intent in 1953 for a pair of unarmed research aircraft. The design featured an innovative dual propulsion turbojet-ramjet configuration; the former being used to takeoff and attain sufficient speed to start the latter.

The first prototype, named Griffon I, made its maiden flight in 1955 and eventually reached a speed of Mach 1.3. Because it lacked the ramjet engine, it was mostly used for exploring the aircraft's aerodynamic properties and its systems. Its flight testing was terminated shortly after the ramjet-equipped Griffon II made its first flight two years later. This aircraft attained a maximum speed of Mach 2.19 and set a world record for a small closed course in 1959. According to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, the aircraft held the flight airspeed record from 5 to 31 October of 1959, with a speed of 1,441.6 mph (2,320 km/h) attributed to Maj. André Turcat. It was last flown in 1961 and currently resides in the Musée de l'air et de l'espace outside Paris, France.