From this spawned a batch of four evolved prototypes handed the Mystere IIB designation and this saw the cannon battery revised to 2 x 30mm DEFA types offering greater killing potential. The line was then graduated to the Mystere IIC standard which consisted of eleven pre-series / evaluation aircraft for to be used in additional testing. By this time, the SNECMA Atar 101C turbojet engine of 5,500lb thrust was in play as nine of the batch were completed with it while the remaining two flew with the SNECMA Atar 101F afterburning turbojet rated at 8,400lb thrust.
The pre-series aircraft reflected closely the finalized form of the Mystere jet fighter and it was this image that the French Air Force settled on when it contracted for 150 units. Service entry occurred in 1954 and production of the series spanned from 1951 until 1957, totaling 171 aircraft. First deliveries to the French Air Force commenced in October of 1954 and these arrived with the SNECMA Atar 101D turbojet engine of 6,600lb thrust as well as a few subtle changes to the airframe and wings.
The Mystere IIC had a crew of one sitting under a lightly-framed canopy and an overall length of 38.4 feet, a wingspan of 43 feet and a height of 14 feet. Empty weight was 11,520lb against an MTOW of 16,500lb. Power was from a SNECMA Atar 101D axial flow turbojet engine rated at 6,000lbf and performance included a maximum speed of 660 miles per hour, a range out to 550 miles with a service ceiling of 50,030 feet. Rate-of-climb was 4,500 feet-per-minute.
Aboard were 2 x 30mm DEFA autocannons with 150 projectiles afforded to each gun. The aircraft was also given provision for underwing rockets (2 x Matra pods with 18 SNEB rockets each) as well as four external hardpoints for the carrying of up to 2,000lb of ordnance or several fuel drop tanks to help increase range.
In service, the Mystere (IIC) had a poor record of accidents which limited its future with the French Air Force and these were mainly centered around structural failures - such was the risk of high-speed flight in these early days. This led the service to commit to the more promising Mystere IV (detailed elsewhere on this site) going forward and Mystere IIC aircraft were quickly relegated to training roles before seeing retirement.
The Mystere IIIN was a one-off prototype (three were planned) developed with a tandem, two-seat cockpit and lateral intakes (as opposed to the original nose-mounted one). This specimen first-flew on July 18th, 1952 but its flying days were short-lived. It spent the remainder of its time trialing ejection seats.
Contemporaries of the Mystere included the famous North American F-86 Sabre and classic Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 fighters - all of similar form and function including swept-back wing mainplanes and nose-mounted intakes. These two examples saw considerably greater success than the French design and fought in the first jet-versus-jet duels in the Korean War of 1950-1953.
The Dassault Mystere was not exported and served solely with the French Air Force for its time in the air. Israel appeared set to order some twenty-four of the French fighters but elected for the Mystere IV instead.
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