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Nord-Aviation (English: North
Aviation) was a state-owned French aircraft manufacturer. The
bulk of its facilities were based on the site of Bourges airport,
in the département of Cher, in central France.
On 1 October 1954, Nord Aviation
was created as a result of the acquisition of SFECMAS (Société
française d'étude et de construction de matériels
aéronautiques spéciaux) by SNCAN (Société
nationale de constructions aéronautiques du Nord). The
company's name, Nord, also became commonly used as a generic
name referring to the Pingouin light aircraft. It manufactured
numerous aircraft; perhaps Nord Aviation's most successful aircraft
was the Nord Noratlas, a utility transport used by both military
and civilian customers. Other aircraft included general aviation,
trainers and experimental aircraft, as well as other transports.
Nord Aviation also developed and produced its own range of missiles;
perhaps the most famous of these was the Exocet, a sea-skimming
anti-ship missile. |
