History
The Sud Ouest Trident II was a point defence interceptor developed in France in the mid 1950s. The first one flew in December 1955 but, despite excellent performance, the project was cancelled in October 1957.
The Sud Ouest SO 9050 Trident II was a production version of the earlier SO 9050 Trident experimental aeroplane.
Learning for the experience of the Messerchmitt Me163 rocket fighter, it supplemented the rocket engine with two wing tip mounted turbojet engines to give it better all-round performance.
After the success of the Trident the larger Trident II was designed and six prototype and pre-production aeroplanes were manufactured.
Despite their excellent performance their limited range (they could maintain high speed for only about four minutes) they were cancelled in favour of the Dassault Mirage III.
This model represents the first Trident II in late 1955.
Mach 2 1:72 kit completed by Leigh Edmonds in Junt 2015.