The Dassault Mercure was a French twin engine jet airliner developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
History[]
The Mercure was originally conceived by Dassault in 1967 as a competitor to the Boeing 737. The project got backing for the project by the French government, and the first prototype was completed on 4 April 1971. Its maiden flight took place on 21 May of the same year, while the second prototype first flew on 7 September
1972. The production aircraft was called the Mercure 100 and received certification in 1974. Unfortunately, the Mercure saw very little interest, with Air Inter being the only airline to order any. This unpopularity was attributed to its short range (only 1,700 km at maximum payload). Just 10 examples (not including prototypes) were built before production was halted in 1975, making it the worst failure of a commercial airliner ever. Several variants were later proposed, but none were acted upon. The last flight of a Mercure occurred in 1995, when Air Inter retired their fleet.
Specifications[]
- Powerplant: Two Pratt & Whitney JT8D-15 turbofan engines
- Top speed: 926 km/h
- Range: 2,084 km
- Ceiling: 12,000 m
- Crew: 3
- Capacity: 162 passengers
- Empty weight: 31,800 kg
- Length: 34.84 m
- Wingspan: 30.55 m
- Height: 11.36 m