Dassault MD 550

In 1954, the Armée de l'air demanded a small all-weather interceptor that was supposed to fly over Mach 1 in level flight. Then Dassault designed the MD.550 Mirage , which made its maiden flight on June 25, 1955. The machine had a delta wing set low on the fuselage , a triangular vertical stabilizer and a retractable nose wheel landing gear. Although the machine reached the desired speed of Mach 1.3, it proved to be too small for a meaningful military payload in the course of testing. Therefore, the development of the larger Mirage II was considered, but both projects were eventually abandoned in favor of the more sophisticated Mirage III .

Technical specifications

Parameter	Data
span	7.03 m
length	11.50 m
Empty mass	3,330 kg
maximum take-off mass	5,070 kg
Engine	two TL Armstrong-Siddeley M.D.30R Viper , 980kp each; 1 rocket engine SEPR 66, 1,500kp
Top speed	1,380 km / h at 11,000 m
Armament	1 guided missile air-to-air
crew	1 man