All eyes follow the 021 on its landing approach at the Paris Air Show, Le Bourget, on June 20, 1955.

The Leduc 021 in flight. The athodyd had a maximum diameter of 2 44m (8ft).

The transparent plastic nosecone slid forward to allow the pilot to extricate himself from the sharp end.

Development of the Leduc 022 was still in the pipeline, so to speak, when the project was axed in 1957.

The Leduc 021 seen at the 1955 Paris Air Show, mounted on its carrier and secured to the Languedoc parent aircraft. The 021 was launched at about 1,200ft over Le Bourget.

A last glimpse of the 021's strange cockpit.

The Leduc 011 had a conventional retractable undercarriage and was originally intended to have been fitted with a Turbomeca Pimene turbojet engine in each wingtip. The purpose of these was to provide standby power during flight and for landing.