In the autumn of 1959, an urgent telegram arrives at the offices of the Soviet embassy in Paris. The message is brief but alarming for Moscow. The French have just set a new world speed record with a fighter capable of flying at 2,320 [music] km per hour. This is not a rumor. This is not propagandist exaggeration.

Pilot Andre Turka has just achieved a performance that worries Soviet military strategists. The aircraft responsible for this feat bears a mythological name, the Nord 1500 Kreon. But let us go back a few years to the early 1950s. Europe fears a Soviet nuclear attack. Western intelligence services report that Moscow is developing supersonic bombers capable of breaching European defenses in a matter of minutes.

 These bombers would carry nuclear payloads and arrive so quickly that no conventional fighter could intercept them. France, still scarred by the recent occupation, refuses to depend solely on American protection. The government therefore launches a competition among French aircraft manufacturers. Create an interceptor capable of catching these Soviet bombers.

 The engineers at Nord Aviation, led by Jean Galier, proposed an innovative concept. Their initial design surprises military experts during the first presentation. A journalist present at the demonstration declares that their mockup looks like a giant jet engine with a cockpit added on top like a cabin. The engineers do not argue.

They acknowledge that the description is accurate. The Griffon is not really an aircraft in the traditional sense. It is a flying engine platform, an experimental laboratory designed to test a technology that no one has ever managed to master on an operational fighter. The combination of a turbo jet and a ramjet.

 The fundamental problem with ramjets is simple but significant. These engines are very powerful and efficient at high speed, much more so than conventional turbo jets. [music] They have no complex moving parts, no compressor, no turbine. Air simply enters at very high speed, compresses naturally, burns with fuel, and produces significant thrust.

But there is a major problem. A ramjet absolutely cannot function when the aircraft is stationary or flying slowly. You already need to be going over 1,000 kmh for it to begin producing any thrust at all. Before we continue, do not forget to like and subscribe to our unique channel. Thank you. Let us continue.

Galia’s solution is innovative. The Griffin will use two completely different engines within the same fuselage. A Sneakma Atar turbo jet will handle takeoff and acceleration up to the speed of sound. Once the aircraft exceeds Mach 1, the pilot will activate the Nord Ramjet, which will propel the machine toward Mach 2 and beyond.

 On paper, it is brilliant. In reality, nobody knows if it will actually work. On the 24th of August 1953, the French government officially orders two prototypes. The final contract will not be signed until 1955, but Nord Aviation immediately begins work. The team decides to build the first prototype named Griffin 1 without the ramjet.

 This pragmatic decision allows them to test the basic aerodynamics and systems of the aircraft without risking an accident with the experimental dual engine technology. The final design of the Griffin is unusual. The vententral air intake is very large. It occupies the entire lower part of the fuselage.

 The cockpit is perched above this opening, giving the pilot excellent visibility, but an unusual seating position. The delta wing, inherited from the earlier Nord Gerote project, gives the aircraft a distinctive silhouette. Two small triangular canards flank the nose to stabilize the aircraft against the significant thrust of the engines.

On the 20th of September 1955, Andre Turkott climbs into the cockpit of the Griffin 1 for its maiden flight. Ground technicians wait. Nobody truly knows how this aircraft will behave in the air. The turbo jet starts, the aircraft rolls across the grassy field, and it takes off.

 Turkot performs a cautious circuit around the airfield. The aircraft flies. It actually flies rather well. But very quickly, a problem appears. The Griffin 1 lacks power. The first flights immediately reveal the limitations of the Griffin 1. On the 11th of January 1956, Turkat pushes the aircraft to its maximum capabilities and breaks the sound barrier for the first time.

 The result is disappointing. only Mach 1.15 for an aircraft meant to intercept Soviet supersonic [music] bombers. This is insufficient. The engineers at Nord Aviation examine the flight data and realize they underestimated the power requirements. The ATR 101G is not enough. The team makes an important decision.

 [music] They replace the original engine with a more powerful ATR 101E. Simultaneously, they enlarge the vententral air intake. The modifications take several months. When the Griffin 1 returns to flight, the performance improves slightly. The aircraft finally reaches Mach 1.3 at an altitude of 8,560 m.

 It is better, but still far from the initial objectives. The tests also show that the engine loses considerable efficiency above 9,000 m. This discovery is concerning because Soviet bombers fly precisely at those altitudes. On the 19th of June 1956, an incident occurs. Turkat is rolling across the grassy field after a routine landing when the nose gear collapses.

 The aircraft comes to a stop with its nose in the grass. Fortunately, the pilot is uninjured and the structural damage remains minor. Repairs nonetheless require 5 weeks. The Griffin 1 does not resume flights until the 26th of July. This accident reinforces the doubts of some military officials who begin to view the project as risky.

 Meanwhile, the second prototype advances in the workshops of Nord Aviation. The Griffin 2 represents Jean Galtier’s true vision. This aircraft finally integrates the long- aaited dual propulsion system. The Nord Ramjet measures 1 m50 in diameter, a significant dimension that requires lengthening and widening the entire rear section of the fuselage.

 The vententral air intake undergoes another major enlargement. Viewed from the front, the opening gives the Griffin 2 [music] a distinctive appearance. On the 23rd of January 1957, the Griffin 2 takes off for the first time with Andre Turkat at the controls. The aircraft uses only its Atar 101E-3 turbo jet during this maiden flight.

Everything works correctly. On the 6th of April, Turkot breaks the sound barrier with the second prototype. Then comes the crucial moment, the first ignition of the ramjet in flight. The engineers have calculated that a minimum speed of 1,000 km hour is required for the engine to begin producing stable thrust.

 Turkot accelerates with the turbo jet until he exceeds Mach 1. The instruments confirm that the conditions are met. The pilot activates the ramjet ignition system. A vibration runs through the entire airframe as fuel ignites in the giant combustion chamber. Turkot watches the dials. Thrust increases but far less than expected. The acceleration remains modest.

 When he shuts down the ramjet and returns to base, the result is disappointing. The Griffin 2 with its revolutionary engine flies barely faster than the Griffin 1 with [music] its single turbo jet. The maximum achieved is Mach 1.3. Exactly the same performance as the first prototype. The results are disappointing.

 Months of work, millions of franks invested, [music] and the outcome is identical. Technical analyses show that the ramjet receives insufficient air flow. Despite the enlarged air intake, the air flow remains insufficient to properly sustain combustion. The engine operates in a lean regime, failing to develop its maximum power.

 Some officials at the Ministry of Defense quietly suggest abandoning the program. The money could be better used elsewhere, notably for more reliable conventional fighters like the Do Mirage, which is progressing rapidly in its own development. Jean Gautier decides to continue. [music] His team recalculates the aerodynamics from the beginning.

 They model the air flows with greater precision. The conclusion is clear. The air intake must be enlarged further, much further. The dimensions they now calculate are very significant. A junior engineer asks whether the cockpit will simply fall off the fuselage given how large the vententral opening will be. Galier consults his colleagues.

 They verify the structural strength calculations. Everything holds. The decision is made. They will modify the Griffin 2 with a third, even larger version of the air intake. The modification work takes several months. When the Griffin 2 returns to the test field, its appearance has changed significantly. The air intake now occupies almost the entire vententral section of the fuselage.

 Viewed from the side, the aircraft resembles a tube with wings. The mechanics remark that they have built a ramjet to which they have added a pilot as a precaution. The new test flight with the ramjet takes place several weeks later. Turkat follows the usual procedure. Takeoff on the turbo jet, gradual climb, acceleration to Mach 1. Then he activates the ramjet.

 This time the reaction is immediate. The acceleration pins Turkat against his seat. The instrument needles spin rapidly. Mach 1.5, Mach 1.7, Mach 1.8. The aircraft keeps accelerating. Finally, during this first flight with the modified intake, the Griffin 2 reaches Mach 1.85. The Ramjet truly works. The tests of 1958 were about to reveal the true capabilities and limits of this revolutionary technology.

 Tests multiply throughout 1958. Each flight brings new data on the ramjet’s behavior at different altitudes and speeds. Turkat quickly discovers that this engine possesses a significant characteristic. It cannot be modulated gradually like a conventional turbo jet. The Griffin’s ramjet operates only in all or nothing mode.

 The pilot can only turn it on or off by adjusting the fuel toair ratio. Once activated, it is impossible to reduce its [music] thrust. It is like a giant switch rather than a conventional throttle. This characteristic makes piloting the Griffin extremely delicate during high-speed flight phases. Another major problem appears [music] during prolonged flights above Mach 1.8.

 The exhaust temperature of the ramjet regularly damages the rear nozzle. Technicians must inspect and often replace entire sections after each flight at maximum speed. Even more concerning, the duralamin alloy skin of the fuselage overheats excessively. At these extreme speeds, air friction generates temperatures that conventional materials can barely withstand.

 The engineers consider using titanium for future versions, but this metal remains extremely expensive and scarce in Europe at the end of the 1950s. [music] Despite these technical difficulties, the Griffin 2 progresses steadily. Pilots report that the flying qualities are excellent at all speeds. The ramjet can be ignited across a wide range of speeds without risk of flame out.

 The giant air intake proves remarkably insensitive to variations in angle of attack. A particularly interesting discovery concerns behavior in turns. Unlike other supersonic fighters that rapidly lose speed during maneuvers, the Griffin maintains its acceleration even during tight turns [music] thanks to the brute power of the ramjet.

On the 25th of February 1959, Nord Aviation prepares an official record attempt. The objective is the world speed record over a closed 100 kilometer circuit. Turkot takes off early in the morning from the test field. He makes several lowaltitude passes over the marked course. Official timekeepers from the Federation Eeronote International are present with their measuring equipment.

 Turkot ignites the ramjet and maintains maximum power throughout the entire circuit. When he lands, the calculations show an average speed of 1,643 kmh. The previous record is beaten by a margin of over 400 km per hour. This performance attracts international attention. This success immediately draws the attention of Western military observers.

 A French aircraft has just demonstrated capabilities that exceed those of the best known Soviet fighters. More importantly, the Americans express their interest. Washington sees in the graff a technology potentially useful for countering the threat of Soviet supersonic bombers. American interest allows Nord Aviation to accelerate the test program.

 The following months are dedicated to pushing the Griffon to its absolute limits. The team now aims for the world speed record in a straight line. Test flights progressively explore ever higher speeds. Mach 2 is breached without major difficulty. Engineers fine-tune the ramjet settings to optimize combustion. Each flight generates extensive technical data on material behavior, aerodynamics at hypersonic speeds, and [music] the physiological limits of the pilot subjected to prolonged accelerations.

On the 5th of October, 1959, all conditions are met for the official record attempt. The sky is clear, wind minimal. Turkot climbs into the cockpit of the Grafon 2 early in the morning. Pre-flight checks take over an hour. Everything must be absolutely perfect. Finally, the turbo jet starts with its characteristic roar.

 The aircraft rolls across the grass and takes off. Turkot climbs quickly toward 15,000 m altitude where the thin air will allow maximum speeds to be reached. Once stabilized at the desired altitude, Turkot accelerates with the turbo jet until well past Mach 1. The instruments confirm that parameters are correct.

 He activates the ramjet. Acceleration increases sharply. The Griffin accelerates rapidly. Mach 1.5, Mach 1.8, Mach 2. The aircraft continues to accelerate. Turkot carefully monitors the structural temperature. Values rise but remain within acceptable limits, Mach 2.1. The instrument needles approach their maximum stops.

 At 15,240 meters altitude, the Griffin 2 reaches its peak speed, Mach 2.19 or 2,320 km per hour in true air speed. It is at this moment that international observers grasp the significance of this performance. A French fighter has just become the fastest aircraft in the world. Faster than all known American prototypes, faster than anything the Soviets possess or are currently developing according to available intelligence.

 The Fed Aeronautique International officially ratifies the record on the 13th of October. Andre Turkat becomes the fastest man in the world. The news alarms military circles in Moscow. Officials in charge of the supersonic bomber program immediately understand the implications. Their strategy rests on the assumption that Western defenses will not be able to intercept bombers flying at Mach 2.

The Griffin invalidates this assumption. A French interceptor can now catch any existing or indevelopment Soviet bomber. The rapid nuclear strike doctrine requires revision. Jean Galtier and his team celebrate their success briefly, but they are already thinking about what comes next.

 Calculations show that an improved version of the Griffin could reach Mach 3 or even more. The Griffin 3 project is launched on paper. Engineers envision a further enlarged fuselage, a more powerful ramjet, perhaps even a partially titanium structure to withstand extreme temperatures. This new aircraft could beat the future record of the Soviet MiG 25 before it even flies.

The euphoria of the world record lasts only a few weeks. By the end of October 1959, the engineers at Nord Aviation must confront significant technical problems. Each flight at maximum speed causes substantial damage to the aircraft. The ramjet nozzle warps under the extreme exhaust temperatures. Technicians spend entire days replacing complete sections of metal twisted by heat.

 The Duralin fuselage shows worrying signs of thermal fatigue. Discolorations appear on the metal skin at spots where the temperature exceeded predicted limits. Tests also reveal a fundamental problem with the very concept of the ramjet. This engine generates very significant heat that dissipates poorly into the rear structure of the aircraft.

 Unlike conventional turbo jets where exhaust gases exit through a relatively small nozzle, the Griffin’s ramjet produces a jet of flame across the entire circumference of the rear fuselage. This configuration creates hot spots impossible to eliminate with the cooling techniques available at the time. Test flights continue nonetheless during the first months of 1960.

 Turkat and the other pilots accumulate valuable data on the behavior of the mixed propulsion system. They test different ramjet ignition procedures, explore the flight envelopes at various altitudes, and measure fuel consumption at different power settings. But between February and July, no flights take place. The accumulated damage requires repairs that are too extensive.

 The Griffin 2 remains grounded for five full months. This prolonged interruption comes [music] at a difficult time for Nord Aviation. In Algeria, the war is intensifying and demanding a growing share of the French military budget. The Ministry of Defense must make hard choices. The generals scrutinize the development costs of all ongoing aeronautical programs.

 The Griffin is becoming increasingly expensive. Each hour of flight costs a fortune in repairs and replacement parts. Worse still, the aircraft remains an experimental prototype with no real operational capability. Military officials ask embarrassing questions. Against whom exactly is the Griffin supposed to fight? Soviet supersonic bombers exist mostly in intelligence reports and future projections.

In the immediate reality of 1960, France is fighting Algerian insurgents who fly light aircraft or have no air force at all. An interceptor capable of Mach 2 is not suited to this context. The fighters needed for Algeria must be rugged, reliable, economical, and capable of operating from rudimentary air strips.

 The Griffin meets none of these criteria. Meanwhile, the Griffin’s direct competitor is progressing rapidly. The Disso Mirage 3 has been flying for several years already. This aircraft uses a conventional configuration with a single turbo jet. It reaches Mach 2 without the technical complications of the dual engine system. More importantly, the Mirage costs far less to produce and maintain.

Marcel Desau, the company’s founder, also possesses extensive experience in French political and military relations. His contacts within the government give him a considerable [music] advantage in the competition for contracts. Discussions at the Ministry of Defense become tense. Griffin supporters argue that France cannot abandon a revolutionary technology that gives it a lead over the Soviets and even the Americans.

 The ramjet represents the future of very high-speed aviation. Giving up now would mean wasting years of research and millions of franks already invested. Furthermore, the accumulated technical data is invaluable for future aerospace programs. Opponents counter with pragmatic arguments. The titanium needed to build an operational version of the Griffin capable of withstanding extreme temperatures remains financially out of reach.

 The Soviet Union controls the majority of the world’s sources of this strategic metal. The quantities available in the west are minuscule and reserved primarily for American programs. Manufacturing griffons in series with ordinary duralin is technically impossible. The aircraft would suffer significant structural damage during prolonged flights [music] at maximum speed.

 Fuel consumption poses another major problem. The ramjet consumes very large quantities of kerosene. The Griffon’s range remains limited to a few dozen minutes of flight at full power. An operational interceptor must be able to patrol for hours, not minutes. Installing additional fuel tanks would weigh down the aircraft so much that it would lose its exceptional performance.

The problem seems unsolvable with the technology available in the early 1960s. In July 1960, the Grafon 2 finally resumes flights after the lengthy repairs. Tests continue for almost another year. Turkat performs the last flight on the 5th of June 1961. This final flight is nothing spectacular. No record is attempted.

 It is simply a routine test flight to evaluate a few minor modifications. When Turkat sets the aircraft down on the grassy field for the last time, nobody realizes that the program has just ended. No official announcement is made immediately. In the following weeks, the silence from the Ministry of Defense is telling.

 No new funding is allocated to continue the tests. The ambitious plans for the Griffon 3 remain in the engineers drawers. [music] Jean Galtier understands that his project will not be continued. The political decision has been made even if it is not yet formally announced. The French government chooses the Mirage as its standard supersonic fighter.

 The Grafon joins the long list of revolutionary aircraft that never progressed beyond the experimental stage. Nord Aviation nonetheless receives a form of consolation. The technical data accumulated during the Griffon tests is not [music] lost. The engineers have learned enormously about very high-speed aerodynamics, thermal problems, and advanced materials.

All of this knowledge will be reused in another program that is just beginning to take shape. the development of a civilian supersonic transport aircraft in cooperation with the British. The Griffin’s legacy would ultimately find its most spectacular application in a project that would carry passengers rather than missiles.

 The Griffin 2 ends its career in a Nord aviation hanger during the summer of 1961. Technicians carefully clean it and remove all hazardous fluids and components. The aircraft will never fly again. Meanwhile, just a few kilometers away, another far more ambitious project is taking shape in the engineering offices. [music] France and Great Britain are negotiating an agreement to jointly develop a supersonic airliner capable of carrying 100 passengers across the Atlantic at Mach 2.

 This program will become the Concord. Andre Turka, the pilot who set all the records with the Griffin, [music] receives a new assignment in 1964. He becomes chief test pilot for the Concord program at Sud Aviation, the company created by the merger of several French manufacturers, including Nord Aviation. His experience with the Griffin proves invaluable.

 Turka is intimately familiar with the challenges of sustained supersonic [music] flight. He understands the thermal problems, the constraints on materials, the difficulties of piloting at very high speed. All these lessons learned on the small experimental interceptor will be applied to the development of the large airliner. The Concord engineers carefully study the technical reports from the Griffin program.

 They pay particular attention to the data on the behavior of metal alloys subjected to elevated temperatures over prolonged periods. The Griffin flew for minutes at Mach 2. The Concord will need to maintain that speed for hours. The materials must not only resist heat, but also withstand repeated cycles of heating and cooling without warping.

 [music] The Griffin tests provide precious information on these phenomena. The design of the Concord’s air intake also benefits from the experience accumulated with the Griffin. The engineers at Nord Aviation spent years perfecting the shape and dimensions of the vententral air intake to properly feed the ramjet.

 They learned how to manage complex air flows at supersonic speed, how to avoid destructive turbulence, how [music] to maintain a stable engine feed despite variations in angle of attack. This knowledge proves directly applicable to the design of the Concord’s air intakes, even though it uses conventional turbo jets rather than a ramjet.

The situation is paradoxical. An aircraft designed to destroy Soviet bombers ultimately contributes to the development of a machine intended to carry wealthy tourists between Paris and New York. Military technology often funds advances that later benefit the civilian domain. The Griffin perfectly illustrates this process.

 Without Cold War military budgets, France would never have invested the sums necessary to explore the limits of supersonic flight. But once the knowledge is acquired, it becomes available for other applications. On the 2nd of March 1969, Andre Turka pilots the French Concord prototype on its maiden flight. The aircraft takes off from Tulus and performs a 27-minute test circuit.

 Turka lands and tells the journalists that the aircraft handles well. In the following years, he will fly the Concord to Mach 2 and beyond, thus surpassing his own records set with the Griffin. The difference is that this time, supersonic technology becomes truly operational and commercial. The Griffin 1 has long since disappeared, likely dismantled after its retirement in April 1957.

Nobody deemed it worthwhile to preserve this incomplete prototype that never exceeded Mach 1.3. The Griffin 2 is preserved. [music] In the years following the program’s cancellation, the aircraft is transferred to the Musea deleas at Labour near Paris. It remains on display there today, suspended in a climate controlled hanger among other French experimental aircraft.

 Museum visitors can admire the very large vententral air [music] intake that gives the Griffin its characteristic appearance. The cockpit perched on top remains unusual. The small triangular canards flank the pointed nose. Seen up close, the aircraft is relatively small for one that set a world speed record. The explanatory plaque soberly mentions the performance.

 2,320 [music] km per hour, Mach 2.19, world record from the 5th to the 31st of October 1959. It does not mention the millions of Franks spent the dashed hopes, the abandoned ambitions. The Griffon was not the only ambitious French project of this era. Another manufacturer named Leuk was simultaneously developing even more daring concepts.

 Their prototypes resembled flying tubes propelled solely by giant ramjets. Some designs envisioned reaching Mach 5, a speed that seemed impossible in the early 1960s. These Leuk projects were also abandoned, victims of the same technical and financial constraints as the grief. The France of the 1950s sincerely believed it could rival the American and Soviet superpowers in the field of cuttingedge military aviation.

 The Griffon represents this great ambition and this confidence in national engineering. The program’s failure demonstrates that political will and technical talent are not always enough. Material and economic constraints [music] ultimately prevail even over the most brilliant projects. Today, the ramjet concept has not disappeared.

 Modern cruise missiles frequently use this technology to reach hypersonic speeds. Current military programs are exploring scramjet designs capable of propelling vehicles to Mach 5 or more. Jean Galtier and his team at Nord Aviation were simply ahead of their time. They attempted to master a technology that humanity would not truly know how to exploit until decades later.

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