nce which were stopped by the outbreak of the war. As production was almost impossible in Belgium, they associated with the French company Farman to produce 700 SV4's in France. The
company would survive until 1970, its last prototype being the Farman Monitor, a small beautiful training and acrobatic aircraft. To the end of the
activities, Alfred Renard studied numerous projects. The SV4c remains today the most significant aircraft ever produced in Belgium.
SABCA went back to business very slowly, disposing of only limited facilities,
the company assembled Jeeps for the national market. In 1948 the Belgian air force
acquired Gloster Meteor IV's in the UK while Sabena acquired Douglas airliners in the USA. There
were no projects to build these aircraft locally as the market was saturised
with cheap aircraft made available after the war.
The start of the cold war changed the situation. Ambitious plans were draw to reinforce the Belgian and Dutch air force.
The Gloster Meteor F8 was selected
as the standard day fighter to be subject of mass-produced. As the UK industry was
not able to fulfill all the needs, Fokker and Fairey received contracts to
produce the Meteor under license. Stampe & Renard was contracted to maintain the various light aircraft
operated by the air force: Tiger Moth, Auster and
later new build SV4.
The Belgian Air Force learn the lesson of the thirties and an aircraft engine industry was started in Liège at the renowned FN
Nationale d’armes) company. Jet engines were produced and maintained for aircraft by the NATO air forces.
The Meteor F8 contracts were followed by others for Hunters F4 and F6. This time SABCA
was involved in the project. As the USAF presence
increased in Europe SABCA was also contracted to inspect and repairs various US aircraft as
HSS Choctaw helicopter or the F84F Thunderstreak. Since
1953, SABCA owned additional installations at Gosselies.
The SABCA Factory at Gosselies at the end of the fifties.
In the late fifties, SABCA was associated with various NATO studies and projects including
V/STOL transports or rocket engined fighters. Finally
the only project who led to a full production was the F104G Starfighter which was constructed by a consortium including Belgian, Dutch,
German and Italian companies under Lockheed leadership. The first Starfighter left the Belgian production line on 4th December 1961.
In 1960, SABCA studied a jet powered trainer, the S-60, who never left the drawing board.
The SABCA S60
In the Sixties, the SABCA ownership was acquired by Fokker and Dassault. SABCA
was more and more involved in multinational projects such as the Fokker F28 Fellowship or
the Breguet Atlantic. The company was also implicated in the production of Mirage 5 and F16 for the Belgian Air Force. Work
Ariane consortium started in 1973 and still consist an important activity for SABCA. In the seventies and eighties, SABCA participated in the
production of the Alphajet trainers and the Agusta A109 helicopter.
The Starfighter was a major program for the Belgian aircraft industry. A Belgian
Air Force Starfighter is seen in front of the SABCA plant at
SABCA is also a partner of Airbus Industrie since the early day of Europe's most
successful airliner. With the rapidly declining military budgets,
Ariane and Airbus are more and more important for the company. Ageing over
seventy, SABCA is one of the rare aircraft manufacturers still wearing its original name.
La Conquête de l’air
Rêves et obstination de l’industrie aéronautique belge Sabca 1920-1990
Last updated 06/11/11 15:56
by Daniel Brackx