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Airmark Airguide #4
Dassault-Breguet Super Étendard
By Andy Evans

The Dassault-Breguet Super Étendard was a French carrier-borne strike fighter aircraft designed for the French Navy. The aircraft was an advanced development of the Étendard IVM, which it replaced. The Super Étendard first flew in October 1974 and entered French service in June 1978. French Super Étendards have served in several conflicts such as the Kosovo war, the war in Afghanistan and the military intervention in Libya. The Super Étendard was also operated by Iraq on a temporary lease and Argentina, which both deployed the aircraft during wartime. Argentina's use of the Super Étendard and the Exocet missile during the 1982 Falklands War led to the aircraft gaining considerable popular recognition. The Super Étendard was used by Iraq to attack oil tankers and merchant shipping in the Persian Gulf during the Iraq-Iran War. In French service, the Super Étendard was replaced by the Dassault Rafale in 2016
The Étendard IVM was originally to have been replaced by a navalised version of the SEPECAT Jaguar, designated as the Jaguar M, however, the Jaguar M project was stalled by a combination of political problems and issues experienced during trial deployments on board carriers. Deliveries of the Super Étendard to the French Navy started in 1978, with the first squadron, Flotille 11F becoming operational in February 1979. As they offered no air combat capabilities France had to extend useful life of its Crusaders fighters, as no replacement option was found. In total, three operational squadrons and a training unit were equipped with the Super Étendard.