Et la SNECMA créa l’ATAR

For many French pilots and military mechanics, and even for the general public, the word ATAR is to the reactor, what Frigidaire is to the refrigerator. Indeed, since the end of the Second World War, all French combat aircraft have been powered by this engine developed by the French engine manufacturer SNECMA. But what does ATAR mean? Where was this engine born? Who presided over its creation? This is the subject of this work.

André Bréand tells us the adventure of creating the first French turbojets in a post-war and “cold” war context where the race for new technologies in propellants is underway. The search for German engineers, scientists and specialists is, in this context, the main activity of the intelligence services of the Allies and the Soviet Union. How did we manage to recruit these engineers who we lacked?

This book, illustrated with numerous original photographs and illustrations by the author, traces the history of the men who were recruited to design and build this engine, in particular that of the German engineers and technicians who brought their expertise in this field. From its design on the banks of Lake Constance, through the Décines design office and the SNECMA factories, a comprehensive look is given to this family of reactors. A former senior technician in the aerospace industry, aeronautical journalist and pilot, André Bréand reveals a little-known period in our aeronautical history and the development of turbojets in particular.