Mirage IV receiving fuel from....?

[Webmaster]

I found this photo in the gallery of http://www.mirage4p.com/ as you can see it shows a Mirage IV , probably the IV A, in the early days when they weren't just taking harmless piccies for the UN over Iraq. I was asking myself what the other aircraft in the photo is?

[Zeke]

It's a Vautaur isn't it...no that should be Votaur...oh dammit something like that anyway...

[elias_b]

Exactly, it's a Vautour(Why do French write so complicated?! ) , wich served in the Armée de l'air  from the mid-50s till mid-70s.

[Webmaster]

Ah yes. Interesting, I didn't know much about other than the Israeli's flew it. I found a good website on it: http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Launchpad/1467/index.htm

[Goose]

Yes the IDF was fairly successful with the Vautour during the 1967 war I think it was. One of them even got an air to air kill over Syrian MIGs during a strike on the MIG airfield.

[Webmaster]

Lucky him, few seconds later and the MiG would have been airborne to shoot him down.

[Oiseau_canari]

The Vautour IIA # 8 was used to test airial refuelling with the Mirage IV. This aircraft was later sold to Israël in 1967.

The Vautour (first flight in 1953) was Mach 1 capable (the 2nd french aircraft to do this, but with the nose slighty down).
In 1957, refuelling tests were done but no Vautour retain this capacity as no refueller was on order for french air force.
Despite that, when the Mir IV was in its own tests, the need of a refueller was solved by the use of a Vautour which only simulated dry transfer  with a Douglas refueling fairing.

It seems that another projet includes a Sud Est Caravelle (!?).

All of that  was forgotten once Kennedy gave Green Flag to the sale of C-135 F (KC-135 subversion for french ) in 1962.

If ready french does not afraid you, I have several links to provides to you and even a book on the Vautour (sold out but sometimes via bids

[Webmaster]

Aha! Thank you for the additional info. Makes sense it was just testing, I'd never seen an aircraft being (mock-) refuelled by this jet before.

What happened to the Caravelle project? I can imagine it being the French tanker instead of the C-135F...

Additional links are welcome, I can read a bit of French, but I'd rather translate it online. Please post them if they are good sources.

[Oiseau_canari]

no more information about the SE 'tanker' Caravelle but I will search as this is very  strange for me too !

about the Vautour, french text only (and a small thumb) :

http://pdennez.free.fr/AVIONS/html/av425.html

a website about a restoration project
http://vautour-caea.11vm-serv.net/index.html
http://caea.free.fr/fr/coll/vautour2b.html     (french page ; an english one is available but with a little less data)

the main page is there :
http://caea.free.fr/fr/collec.html
with the full list of the collection and projects (including... a Mirage IV P)

on the paper side, if you could find the book written by Alain Crosnier  "SO.4050 Vautour" (LELA presse editor) you will have the definitive work on the subject ... and will be a very lucky guy !