SNCASO 4050 VAUTOUR

Published in 1996 and prefaced by General of the Air Corps Claude Grigault, former commander of the 92nd Bombardment Brigade at Cognac, the former Chief of Staff of the Armée de l'Air particularly highlighted at the time «the author's competence and knowledge of his milieu, the assembly of documentation of a quality and scope that commands admiration, noting moreover that others will discover his dedication and talent for producing works of this kind that contribute to a better understanding of our tricolour wings».

Since then, many fellow authors have come forward with talent to make their own fine contribution to that wish.

For this new edition, I wanted to bring to the fore personnel who are often kept in the shadows — those belonging to the non-commissioned officer corps. It is a sergeant pilot who introduces this new edition today, one of those who during the Cold War formed the backbone of the Armée de l'Air alongside his mechanic and ground-crew comrades. Without them, fully committed to their responsibilities, no Vautour would ever have taken off and brought its crew safely home.

In 2025, the work carries the same substance as the original, yet is greatly enriched with new colour photographs, additional information and the production list. For many, the twin-jet SNCASO 4050 Vautour remains a legendary combat aircraft — if only for its sheer mass, its aggressive character, its aptitude for air combat in encounters with other Armée de l'Air fighters, and its ground-attack capability, as the Israelis so amply demonstrated.