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First flight of the MD 415 Communauté in 1959

On this day, in 1959, the MD 415 Communauté made its first flight in Bordeaux-Mérignac piloted by Paul Boudier, Dominique Mourey and Jean Dillaire.

Community MD 415 on the ground
Community MD 415 on the ground © Dassault Aviation – All Rights Reserved

On this day, in 1959, the MD 415 Communauté made its first flight in Bordeaux-Mérignac piloted by Paul Boudier, Dominique Mourey and Jean Dillaire.

When war broke out in Algeria, the French authorities pressed for a specialized twin-engine aircraft, more heavily armed and better protected. At the end of 1957, the Mérignac design office came up with two aircraft types based on the same airframe:

  • the MD 415 Communauté for liaison, with secondary fire-support capability
  • the MD 410 Spirale for fire-support, with liaison as a secondary capability

The MD 415 Communauté, designed by Dassault, had a pressurized fuselage and could carry about ten passengers as well as a considerable battery of weapons (two 30-mm cannons, bombs, rockets and air-to-ground missiles) for air strikes..

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