NBMR-3

The requirements were withdrawn in 1967, aircraft prototypes that had been built were used for experimental purposes until they were retired in the early 1970s.

[1] Of these aircraft types the majority remained paper projects, the Dassault Balzac V served as an engine and systems testbed for two Mirage IIIV prototypes that were built and test flown in 1965, one aircraft (the second one, named "V-02") was lost in an accident (killing its pilot[2]), but the other (the "V-01") is preserved and still on display at the Musée de l'air et de l'espace[3] (Air & Space Museum) near Paris.

The P.1154 had been judged to be technically superior, but the Mirage had greater potential for cooperative development and production being spread across the member nations.

[4] In the UK the P.1154 had still found support for meeting the RAF needs and construction was under way on the prototype airframes when the newly elected government cancelled it in 1964 (along with other aircraft projects) on cost grounds.

In February 1962 the committee amended NBMR-3a (supersonic aircraft) to add the requirement for Lockheed F-104G replacement with no change to the criteria and NBMR-3b for a Fiat G.91 replacement with a reduced load carrying ability (1,000 lb (450 kg)) and reduced combat radius of 180 nautical miles (330 km).

[8] SATS (Short Airfield for Tactical Support) was a related test programme where F-104G aircraft were catapult launched from short land strips and recovered using arrestor gear, test launches were carried out at Lakehurst and Lechfeld in 1966.

[8] Neither system was adopted due to complexity, logistics difficulties and a change in NATO strategy.

The new aircraft types required advanced lift jet engines with high thrust-to-weight ratios, development programmes for new powerplants employing vectored thrust or vertically mounted pure lift engines ran concurrently with the aircraft designs.

Dassault Mirage IIIV during flight testing