A tactical transport plane produced in France. The plane was developed in the late 40's by Nord, a French firm which had been asked by the Armee de l'Air to produce a medium transport that could carry and drop paratroopers and cargos.
After the War of Independence, the IAF began looking for fighters and transport planes that could replace the Dakotas and other outdated planes in its hangars. France agreed to sell Israel Ouragans, but made that sale conditional on Israel's purchasing three Nords as well. The Nord was thus thrust upon the IAF, almost against its will. However, Heyl Ha'avir soon discovered that the Nords opened up new possibilities for it, and made use of their abilities for carrying VIPs and other important cargoes.
When the Sinai Campaign began, on October 28th 1956, 26 French Nords landed in Hatzor, bringing with them about 400 Armee de l'Air officers, who set up their headquarters at Ramla. In the course of the campaign, the Nords dropped supplies for the paratroopers in the Mitle Pass, evacuated 120 wounded and dropped paratroopers and supplies deep in enemy territory, at A-Tur.
When the Six Day War broke out, the IAF possessed 23 Nords. Before the war, during the time known as the 'hamtana', or waiting period - when it was clear that there would be a war in the Middle East but not clear when - the Nords executed marine reconnaissance patrols around the clock, in search of hostile ships nearing Israeli waters. When the fighting began, the planes carried out marine reconnaissance and air communications relay missions. In the following days the Nords were used for dropping fuel and other supplies for the advancing forces in the Sinai, as well as medevac and observation missions. In the War of Attrition the Nords carried out numerous sorties for evacuating wounded soldiers from the front to hospitals in the rear, and supply missions.
The plane was also tried as a bomber - but was a failure in that role. In the Yom Kippur War, the Nords had a heavy workload, shouldering numerous and varied assignments. In the first stage of the war, they flew reservists to the Egyptian front, carried water, ammunition, mail and medicine, and evacuated wounded. The Nords were retired in 1978.