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| Noratlas | |
|---|---|
 A French Air Force Nord Noratlas in flight | |
| General information | |
| Type | Military Transport |
| National origin | France |
| Manufacturer | Nord Aviation |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary users | France |
| Number built | 425 |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 1949-1961 |
| Introduction date | 6 December 1953 |
| First flight | 10 September 1949 |
| Retired | 1989 (France) |
The Nord Noratlas is a dedicated military transport aircraft, developed and manufactured by French aircraft manufacturer Nord Aviation.
Development commenced during the late 1940s with the aim of producing a suitable aircraft to replace the numerous older types that were in service with the Armée de l'Air (French Air Force) which dated back to the Second World War. In response to a competition organised by the Direction Technique Industrielle (DTI), Nord produced their Nord 2500 proposal, which was selected as the most promising. Experiences with the first prototype, powered by Gnome-Rhône 14R engines, did not impress, thus the design was revised as the Nord 2501, powered by the SNECMA-built Bristol Hercules 738/9 engines instead, which was found acceptable. Accordingly, the Noratlas was introduced to service by the Armée de l'Air on 6 December 1953.
Following its adoption by the Armée de l'Air, a number of other operators in both Europe and Africa chose to procure the Noratlas for their own military air services. Having found itself in a similar situation to France, the German Air Force of West Germany chose to adopt the same solution, procuring the type for their own purposes. The Israeli Air Force, the Hellenic Air Force, and the Portuguese Air Force all deployed the Noratlas under combat conditions. Furthermore, operators often found a wide variety of uses for the type, extensively adapting aircraft to suit secondary roles in some cases. The Noratlas was also adopted by a number of civil operators, although most aircraft were flown by military customers. As such, several hundred aircraft were produced during the Noratlas' production run, which lasted over a decade.