Development commenced during the late 1940s with the aim of producing a suitable aircraft to replace the numerous older types that were in service with the Armée de l'Air (French Air Force) which dated back to the Second World War.

Having found itself in a similar situation to France, the German Air Force of West Germany chose to adopt the same solution, procuring the type for their own purposes.

Both aircraft had suffered from a common set of flaws, such as the traditional tailwheel landing gear configuration, which gave them a nose-up attitude when at rest that complicated the loading and unloading of cargo, relatively restrictive side-loading doors and a limited payload capacity.

In light of these apparent shortcomings, during 1947, the Direction Technique Industrielle (DTI) organized a design competition that sought a medium-weight cargo aircraft which would offer very high operational flexibility.

The Nord 2500, which was designed with rear-opening clamshell doors to allow for easy cargo handling, was considered to be the most promising of the submissions received; according, on 27 April 1948, DTI placed an order for a pair of prototypes to be constructed for evaluation.

As such, on the second prototype, the 14Rs were replaced by a pair of SNECMA-built Bristol Hercules 738/9 engines, capable of producing 2,040 hp (1,520 kW), along with a new four-bladed Rotol propeller arrangement.

Of those built, perhaps the most distinct was the civil-orientated 2502, which featured additional engines in the form of a pair of wing-tip mounted Turbomeca Marboré turbojets, giving it improved takeoff performance.

[1] The sizable cabin of the Noratlas was capable of accommodating up to 7.5 short tons (6.8 t) of freight or a maximum of 40 passengers; when flown at a cruising speed of 200 mph (320 km/h), it could transport a 6-ton payload over a range of up to 750 miles (1,210 km).

[4] Cargo was typically loaded into and unloaded from the main cabin via the rear-facing clamshell doors, which were intentionally positioned close to ground level to ease freight handling.

[5] Flugzeugbau Nord had been involved in the Noratlas programme from an early stage, which was the company's first post-war aviation project, having been responsible for the design and manufacture of the majority of the aircraft's fuselage.

[6] According to author John P. Cann, if the Noratlas in German service had a weakness, it was that the fleet was furnished with four different sets of cockpit instrumentation and electronic systems as a result of its complex procurement arrangement.

[7] The favourable experience with the Noratlas gave enthusiasm for further Franco-German collaborative efforts, leading directly to the larger and more advanced Transall C-160 transport aircraft.

However, this procurement had been made under duress—the French government would only allow Israel to purchase 12 of its Dassault Ouragan jet-powered fighters if the nation also acquired at least three Noratlases in the same deal.

[10] During 1959, having been suitably impressed by its use under combat conditions, the IAF purchased another three N-2501ISs; prior to the Six-Day War of 1967, an additional 16 ex-German Air Force N-2501Ds had also been acquired and put into service.

During 1970, the Hellenic Air Force (HAF) received 50 surplus Noratlases from Germany as part of a compensation package for events during the Second World War, as well as being an element of NATO-organised military assistance to Greece.

[11] Regardless, the operation had allowed the Greek 1st Rangers Squadron to help retain the Nicosia airport under the control of the United Nations and avoid its surrender to the Turkish Brigade that had attacked it.

Known as the N-2502A/B, it was designed to be suitable for the transportation of both passenger and cargo payloads; the principal difference between the military models and the civil variant was the addition of a pair of small Turbomeca Marboré IIE turbojets, installed within the wingtips, for the purpose of improving the type's performance during the takeoff phase of flight only.