SNECMA Coléoptère :

The SNECMA Coléoptère meaning “beetle” in French, was a VTOL aircraft developed by the French company SNECMA in the 1950s. It was a single-person aircraft with an annular wing designed to land vertically, therefore requiring no runway and very little space to take-off. There were several prototypes developed and tested, however the design proved to be very unstable and flying it was dangerous.

SNECMA Coléoptère History:

SNECMA Coléoptère is a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft is one that can hover, take off, and land vertically. This classification includes fixed-wing aircraft as well as helicopters and other aircraft with powered rotors, such as cyclogyros/cyclocopters and tiltrotors.

In France, the Société Nationale d’Etude et Construction de Moteurs d’Aviation (SNECMA) began working on a jet powered tail-sitter in 1954. Various rigs were tested from 1955-1957 powered by the 6,400 lb thrust Atar D jet engine, each with increasing complexity. The C450 Coléoptère (“annular wing”) was the final step in the program. It had a 22 ft fuselage surrounded by a 10.5 ft diameter annular wing with four small fins above castoring wheels. The airframe was built by the Nord company. Control in hover was provided by tilting vanes in the nozzle of the 7,700 lb thrust Atar 101E turbojet. In forward flight the small fins deflected the air for control. Two small strakes in the nose could be extended to facilitate a pitch-up moment in transition back to vertical. First tethered hover was on 17 April 1959; first free hover was on 3 May 1959, lasting for 3 1/2 minutes. The ninth flight was on 25 July 1959; it was to transition to about 36° from the vertical and then return to hover at 2,000 ft before beginning a vertical descent. However, the Coléoptère was unable to establish the hover and began descending faster than desired and fell into oscillations about all three axes. The pilot ejected at 150 ft but was badly hurt. The Coléoptère rotated to about 50° and accelerated horizontally, but did not quite complete the transition and crashed. Emphasis on both sides of the Atlantic changed from dispersal to air superiority and attack, roles for which the tail sitters, with their small payload and range, were ill-suited.

SNECMA Coléoptère Airframe:

The air frame for the SNECMA Coleoptere was built by the Nord company. Control in hover was provided by tilting vanes in the nozzle of the 7,700 lb thrust Atar 101E turbojet. In forward flight the small fins deflected the air for control. Two small strakes in the nose could be extended to facilitate a pitch-up moment in transition back to vertical. First SNECMA Coleoptere tethered hover was on 17 April 1959; first free hover was on 3 May 1959, lasting for 3 1/2 minutes.

SNECMA Coléoptère Specifications:

General characteristics : 

Crew: 1
Type: VSTOL
Powerplant: Snecma Atar 101e.v Turbojet
Diameter: 3.20m
Lenght: 8.02m
Weight: 3000kg
Max. speed: 497 mph
Ceiling: 9850 ft