СНКАО
One of six state aircraft groups born of France’s 1936 nationalisation, SNCAO lived barely four years before being folded into SNCASO.
SNCAO: the company and the aircraft that made its name
Born of nationalisation
SNCAO was created on 16 November 1936, one of six state-owned Sociétés Nationales formed when France nationalised its military aircraft industry. It took over the Breguet factory at Bouguenais near Nantes and the Loire-Nieuport plants at Saint-Nazaire and Issy-les-Moulineaux, inheriting their designs in mid-development. It also inherited a rivalry: Loire and Nieuport had recently competed against each other for the same fighter contract, which went to Morane-Saulnier with the MS.406.
Chasing the D.520
The inheritance included the Loire-Nieuport LN.40 naval dive bomber, built from 1938, and a flying-boat trainer renamed the SNCAO 30. SNCAO’s own big bid was the CAO.200 fighter, based on the rejected Loire-Nieuport 161 and aimed at the same 1937 requirement that produced the Dewoitine D.520. Its prototype flew on 31 January 1939 with a lower-powered engine than planned, and only one was built. The SNCAO 30 disappointed as well, nose-heavy and with a vibrating, overheating engine; a Navy order for 12 was placed, but only the two prototypes were built.
Absorbed
War cut the story short. At the end of 1940 the state groups were reorganised and SNCAO was absorbed into SNCASO, which in 1957 became part of Sud Aviation. SNCAO’s one production aircraft of note, the LN.40, was built in a run of only 68 between 1938 and 1942. Its factories at Bouguenais, Saint-Nazaire and Issy-les-Moulineaux passed with it into SNCASO. SNCASO itself merged into Sud Aviation in 1957. Its CAO.200 prototype remained a one-off.
SNCAO in numbers
Компания
- Суммируя
- Основана в 1936 году.
- Formed 16 November 1936 by nationalisation
- Breguet and Loire-Nieuport plants
- Absorbed by SNCASO
Производство
- Наиболее известен благодаря
- пикирующий бомбардировщик LN.40
- Loire-Nieuport LN.40 naval dive bomber
- CAO.200 fighter prototype
- SNCAO 30 flying-boat trainer
Сегодня
- Сейчас
- Part of SNCASO from 1941
- SNCASO merged into Sud Aviation in 1957
Every notable SNCAO aircraft
| Самолёт | Роль | Первый рейс | Построен | Статус | Примечание |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SNCAO 30 | Flying-boat trainer | 1938 | 2 | Ушедший на пенсию | Ordered into production for the Navy but only prototypes built |
| Loire-Nieuport LN.40 | Naval dive bomber | 1938 | 68 | Ушедший на пенсию | Inherited Loire-Nieuport design |
| SNCAO CAO.200 | прототип истребителя | 1939 | 1 | Ушедший на пенсию | Rival to the Dewoitine D.520 |
Where SNCAO built, who led it, what it achieved
Заводы
- Bouguenais works · Bouguenais, near Nantes — Former Breguet plant
- Saint-Nazaire works · Saint-Nazaire — Former Loire plant
- Issy-les-Moulineaux works · Issy-les-Moulineaux, near Paris — Former Nieuport plant
SNCAO, year by year
SNCAO formed from Breguet Bouguenais and Loire-Nieuport
Air Ministry issues the fighter requirement answered by the CAO.200
CAO.200 mock-up shown at the Paris Air Show
LN.40 dive bomber first flies
SNCAO 30 trainer first flies
CAO.200 prototype first flies
State groups reorganised at the end of the year
SNCAO absorbed by SNCASO
SNCASO merges into Sud Aviation
Before and after SNCAO
Everything people ask about SNCAO
What does SNCAO stand for?
When was SNCAO formed?
What did SNCAO build?
What happened to SNCAO?
Around SNCAO
Все факты проверены.
Подтверждено 03.10.2026.