After the accident of the first prototype of the previous NC.1070, it was decided to re-engine and modify the second prototype, becoming it the first prototype of the NC.1071 on 23rd October 1947.
It was powered by two Rolls-Royce Nene 101 jet engines and flew for the first time on 12th October 1948 on a flight between Toussus-le-noble and Bretigny pilotted also by Fernand Lasne. Trial flights reported that, even if the type had some faults, they could quickly be fixed and that the type had good flying characteristics except for the excessive vibrations at high speed. Later, on 27th July 1949, after a test flight in the Centre d'Essais de Vol (Flight Test Centre), the prototype suffered a small handling accident due to a deflated tire that damaged it. This time, as the project took 100 million of French Francs of the time, it was decided to repair it and to improve the fuselage characteristics. Therefore, new low-pressure tires were installed, the nose was modified in order to get better visibility, the defensive turret at the back was replaced by an observation post and additional fuel tanks were placed at the root of the wings. The pilot who tuned-up the modified prototype was Claude Dellys.
After those modifications, further test flights were performed, but on 8th May 1951 after a 0.7 mach high-speed flight, piloted by Jean Sarrail, the aircraft suffered serious deformations at the junctions of the drifts with the motor spindles. After landing it successfully, due to lack of interest in the type, it was decided to not repair it, and abandon it. It was written-off and sent to Rochefort Mechanics school where it ended its days there.
An all-weather heavy-fighter version, called NC.1072 was also expected, but as we couldn't find any blueprints about how it could've looked like, we haven't drawn it.
Sources:
1. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/SNCAC_NC.1071 (translated)
2. https://www.aviationsmilitaires.net/v2/base/view/Variant/12380.html (translated)
3. https://www.aviationsmilitaires.net/v2/base/view/Variant/12381.html (translated)
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