Mabranca: short-range surface-to-air missile for the French Navy

[cardonet]

MABRANCA (MArine BRANdt Contre Avion) was a short-range surface-to-air naval missile developed by Brandt in its La-Ferté-Saint-Aubin plant.
The booklet entitled "1938-1988 ; 50 ans à l'usine de Chevau" explains: « The study for the navy of a short-range air defense missile, named Mabranca, whose engineer in charge was René Pataud, began in 1952. After a few more or less successful firings, this study was abandoned in 1956. »
The firings were made at CERES (Île du Levant) but it seems that preliminary tests took place as early as 1951 in Cap Camarat. The launch ramp was later used to test Masurca C1R models.
Based on the attached photo, it can be estimated that this missile was approximately 1.9 m long with a diameter of 0.3 m and a wingspan of 1.5 m.

Any additional information would be welcome.

 

[Archibald]

We french surely had a knack for bizarre names for missiles. MASURCA has a meaning at least (it's a dance !) but the others are meaningless.

 

[Tzoli]

French equivalent of the Seacat?

 

[dan_inbox]

Mabranca, Masurca and Masalca were short, medium and long range surface-to-air missile programs launched by the Marine Nationale.
Only Masurca succeeded.

As for the meaningless names, it was fashionable in France in the fifties to create acronyms that would be pronounceable, as opposed to the earlier fashion of SNCF and the like. Of course it is something that was common in Germany much earlier (Geheime Stadts Polizei - Gestapo), but hey, fads are fads.

 

[klem]

Certainly few elements of information concerning mabranca and the picture presented here is the same as that of jung in AAAF (Association Aeronautique et Astronautique de France-Fusées des années 40-50) and in his article (The true begennings of french astronautics 1938-1959) in an attached table it is mentioned that the first flight was on 26.05.1951.

 

[cardonet]

Certainly few elements of information concerning mabranca and the picture presented here is the same as that of jung in AAAF (Association Aeronautique et Astronautique de France-Fusées des années 40-50) and in his article (The true begennings of french astronautics 1938-1959) in an attached table it is mentioned that the first flight was on 26.05.1951.

I remember getting this picture to Philippe Jung in late 2007 or early 2008. It is not in his article "The true beginnings of French astronautics". This picture, and the text about it, was provided to me by a former employee of the Vernon LRBA. It comes from another booklet entitled "TDA, l'épopée industrielle".

Both booklets have errors, for example:
- "1938-1988 ; 50 ans à l'usine de Chevau" says that studies on "rocket motors and missile charges" began in 1950, while documents show that the Navy (Marine) had commissioned "solid motor propelled missiles studies" as early as 1948;
- "TDA, l'épopée industrielle" says that Mabranca means MAtra BRANdt Contre Avion, whereas this acronym means MArine BRANdt Contre Avion.

 

[Dilandu]

French equivalent of the Seacat?

Actually looks like French attempt into KAN/Little Joe:

 

[cardonet]

French equivalent of the Seacat?

I could not find any information about the characteristics of the solid motor, nor about the principle of guidance except that it was radio controlled.

 

[T. A. Gardner]

MABRANCA (MArine BRANdt Contre Avion) was a short-range surface-to-air naval missile developed by Brandt in its La-Ferté-Saint-Aubin plant.
The booklet entitled "1938-1988 ; 50 ans à l'usine de Chevau" explains: « The study for the navy of a short-range air defense missile, named Mabranca, whose engineer in charge was René Pataud, began in 1952. After a few more or less successful firings, this study was abandoned in 1956. »
The firings were made at CERES (Île du Levant) but it seems that preliminary tests took place as early as 1951 in Cap Camarat. The launch ramp was later used to test Masurca C1R models.
Based on the attached photo, it can be estimated that this missile was approximately 1.9 m long with a diameter of 0.3 m and a wingspan of 1.5 m.

Any additional information would be welcome.

This appears to be a French version of the early CTV's (Control Test Vehicle) the US was using with Bumblebee (the project to develop Talos)

The US missile was used to develop and test control, guidance, and flight systems. I would think the French were using their version for much the same purpose.

 

[kocovgoce]

I believe that German experiences from the Second World War have been used again. It appears to be a manually guided missile via radio link, and two operators. But it is possible that they had a semi-active radar guidance

 

[Scott Kenny]

Looks like the SS11/SS12 antitank missiles...