Nord AA.20

The Nord AA.20, also mentioned as Nord 5103, is a French air-to-air missile developed by Nord Aviation in the 1950s. It was one of the first missiles of its kind adopted into service in Western Europe. The AA.20 served primarily with the French Air Force and Navy from 1956 to 1960.

The AA.20 was developed in parallel with the SS.10 anti-tank missile and was initially designated as Type 5103.

The AA.20 used a radio command guidance system, similar to Nord’s anti-tank missiles. The missile was visually tracked by the pilot, aided by a rear-mounted flare, and steered using manual radio commands. The radio command allowed for it to be used in a secondary role as an air-to-surface missile. This guidance system, while innovative for its time, had significant limitations: daylight and clear weather only, pilot workload, visibility etc.

The AA.20 and its variants saw no documented combat use. The missile was integrated with French aircraft of the 1950s, including: Dassault Mystère IV, Sud Aviation Vautour, Dassault Mirage IIIC.

Its design laid the groundwork for a family of air-to-ground missiles, such as the AS-20 and AS-30.