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The Morane-Saulnier M.S.760 Paris was a high-speed liaison aircraft and jet trainer that was used by the French military from the late 1950s until 1997 and by Argentina until 2007.
The M.S.760 evolved from the M.S.755 Fleuret. This was a two-seat jet trainer that was produced in the early 1950s in response to an official French requirement. The M.S.755 was powered by two Turbomeca Marboré II turbojets and had its two crew sitting side-by-side. It made its maiden flight in January 1953, but it lost out to the Fouga Magister and wasn't ordered by the French military.
Morane-Saulnier had faith in the basic design. They decided to expand it into a four-seat aircraft by adding a second row of two seats and extending the cockpit. The four crew sit under the sliding cockpit canopy, which is mounted ahead of the low mounted wings. The M.S.760 Paris I was powered by the same Turbomeca Marboré II engines as the M.S.755, with the engines carried in the rear fuselage, the air intakes in the wing roots and the jet pipes emerging on the sides of the rear fuselage. The M.S.760 had a 'T' shaped tail, with the horizontal surface on top of the vertical surface. The aircraft has a tricycle landing gear.
Three versions of the Paris were developed. The Paris I was produced until 1961. It was then replaced by the Paris II, which had Marboré VI 480kg engines (up from 400kg on the Paris I), and fuel tanks built into the wing leading edge. A single six-seat Paris III was produced in 1964, but this didn't enter production.
The prototype M.S.760 made its maiden flight on 29 July 1954. During 1955 the company attempted to sell the Paris in the United States as an executive business jet, but it lost out to the Learjet Model 23 in that market. Morane-Saulnier's faith in the design was rewarded on 18 July 1956 when the French government ordered 50 aircraft, 36 for the Air Fore and 14 for the Navy. The first production aircraft flew on 27 February 1958 and the first deliveries began in February 1959.
The French military used the Paris to train the pilots of advanced jets in instrument flying and all-weather flight, to provide advanced training for new pilots and to improve the jet skills of existing pilots. They were also used as liaison aircraft, in particular by the navy. The last French military Paris was retired in 1997,
The Paris was also ordered by Argentina and Brazil. Brazil purchased thirty aircraft, and used them for liaison, photographic surveys and training. Argentina ordered 48 aircraft, 36 of which were assembled at the Argentinean government factory at Cordoba. Some of these aircraft were used in combat during the 1963 Argentine Navy Revolt, helping suppress this very short-lived attempt at a military coup. The last Argentine Paris jets weren’t retired until 2009. Moraine-Saulnier also received civil orders for the Paris.
Paris I
Engine: Two Turboméca Marboré II turbojets
Power: 882lb thrust each
Crew: flight crew one or two plus up to three passengers
Wing span: 33ft 3in
Length: 33ft 0in
Height: 8ft 6in
Empty Weight: 4,280lb
Maximum Take-off Weight: 7,650lb
Max Speed: 405mph at sea level
Cruising Speed:
Service Ceiling: 32,800ft
Range: 930 miles