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The “Mystere IV” was essentially a new design, a rethinking of the Mystere II rather than a modification of it. The first prototype was flown in September 1952, and was powered by a Hispano-built Rolls-Royce Tay 250 turbojet, as were the early Mystere IIA prototypes.
While it also featured the twin 30-millimeter DEFA cannon adopted for the Mystere II, the Mystere IV had a new and more robust oval-section fuselage, a thinner wing with greater sweep, and new tail surfaces. The result resembled the Mystere IIC in a general way but had cleaner lines, more in the class of the US F-86 Sabre.
There was apparently only one prototype, leading to a production contract for 225 Mystere IVAs for the Armee de l’Air. Interestingly enough, this batch of aircraft was purchased for the French by the United States as part of the NATO Military Assistance Program, though the French would purchase 100 more Mystere IVAs with their own funds.
The first production Mystere IVA flew in late May 1954, and the type entered service with the Armee de l’Air the next year, being initially deployed as an interceptor. It would also be used as ground-attack fighter in French service.
The first 50 production aircraft used the Tay 250 engine, but all following production was fitted with an uprated Tay, the Hispano-built Verdon 350, with 34.3 kN (3,500 kgp / 7,715 lbf) thrust.
The Mystere IVA had four stores pylons, with a total load capacity of 900 kilograms (2,000 pounds) of underwing stores. It appears that in typical flight configurations, two of the pylons were fitted with drop tanks while two others carried bombs or Matra 68-millimeter unguided rocket packs. As with many early jet aircraft, the Mystere IVA’s range without drop tanks was pathetic.
The Mystere IVA remained in first-line service with the Armee de l’Air until the early 1960s, when it was replaced by the Mirage IIIC. It remained in service in the ground-attack role until 1975, when replaced by the SEPECAT Jaguar, and as an operational trainer until 1980, when it was replaced by the Dassault-Dornier Alpha Jet.
60 of the Verdon-powered Mystere IVAs that were ordered by the French ended up being sold to Israel, with the first batch of 24 arriving April 1956, just in time for the war over Suez in October. In the hands of skilled IAF pilots, they proved themselves more than a match for Egyptian MiG-15s. French Mystere IVAs also participated in the October 1956 war, operating from Israeli bases with an Israeli squadron number, and French pilots would also fly some of the Israeli Mystere IVAs during that war.
The remaining 36 Mystere IVs in the batch were shipped to Israel after the 1956 war. Two squadrons of Mystere IVAs were still in Israeli service in the Six-Day War in 1967.
Israeli Mystère IVs saw action during the Arab-Israeli Wars and were joined by the French Mystères for the Suez crisis. On 8 June 1967, Israeli aircraft were involved in the tragic and controversial attack on USS Liberty.
IAF Air-to-Air Victories by Aircraft Type
1956 Total: 7 Cannon: 100%
7 Mystere IV
1956-67 Total: 12 Cannon: 93% Missile: 7%
1 Mystere IV
11 Mirage
1967 Total: 60 Cannon: 100%
50 Mirage
5 Super Mystere
3 Mystere IV
1 Ouragon
1 Vautour
The highest scoring Israeli Mystere IV pilot was Ya’acov Nevo with 3 Air-to-Air Victories
