Heller – 80201 – M.D. 450 OURAGAN

Description:

Unassembled plastic model kit in 1/72 scale of a French Dassault M.D. 450 Ouragan jet fighter aircraft.

The Dassault M.D. 450 Ouragan was France’s first domestically designed and mass-produced jet fighter, developed in the late 1940s by Dassault Aviation. Emerging in the aftermath of World War II, the Ouragan was part of France’s effort to rebuild its aerospace industry and regain strategic independence in military aviation. Powered by a Rolls-Royce Nene turbojet engine, the aircraft had a top speed of 980 km/h (610 mph) and was equipped with four 20mm Hispano-Suiza cannons, as well as the capacity to carry bombs and rockets for ground attack missions.

Although it was quickly overshadowed by more advanced jet fighters, the Ouragan saw active service in several air forces, including those of France, India, and Israel. During the Suez Crisis (1956), Israeli Ouragans performed ground-attack and interception missions, proving effective despite their aging design. The aircraft’s simplicity and reliability made it a useful transitional platform for air forces moving from propeller-driven planes to jets. By the late 1950s, it was largely replaced by more advanced designs like the Dassault Mystère series, but its role as France’s first indigenous jet fighter marked an important milestone in the country’s aviation history.

An original Heller kit available since 1981. Kit consists of 35 and include two markings in its latest release.