Leduc 022 01
This a/c resembles a winged syringe… In earnest, the Leduc 022 was a prototype fighter meant to reach Mach 2, though it only achieved Mach 1,15. Reason was its exorbitant drag induced by its non-area-ruled fuselage at near sonic speeds. The pilot was seated prone in the glass portion of the nose. First flown on 26. December 1956, after 114 flights the project was cancelled about a year later in favor of the Dassault Mirage III, a much more conventional design. A/c preserved at the Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace. | Rob Vogelaar