The Dassault M.D.320 Hirondelle was a light twin-engine turboprop transport developed in the late 1960s by Dassault Aviation. The aircraft was conceived in response to a 1967 requirement from the French Air Force general staff, which sought a modern replacement for the aging Douglas DC-3 and Beechcraft 18 aircraft used for liaison, light transport, and pilot navigation training.
Designed to offer a lower-cost alternative to jet transports, the Hirondelle utilized a hybrid design lineage. Dassault engineers derived the aircraft's aerodynamics from the Communauté and adapted the wings from the Mystère 20 (later known as the Falcon 20). While the Mystère 20 offered a higher speed of 430 knots, the Hirondelle was designed to provide similar cabin capacity and range at approximately half the acquisition and operating cost. The prototype, registered as F-WPXB, first took to the skies on 11 September 1968 at the Bordeaux–Mérignac airfield, with test pilots Hervé Leprince-Ringuet and Jean Coureau at the controls.
Technically, the prototype was powered by two Turbomeca Astazou XIVD turboprop engines mounted in wing nacelles. Depending on the source, these engines are rated at either 870 hp or 690 kW (920 hp). The aircraft featured a crew of two and could accommodate between 6 and 14 passengers, or carry a payload of 1,200 kg. Performance specifications for the prototype included a maximum speed of 500 km/h (270 knots), a range of 3,000 km, and a service ceiling of 9,000 meters. It was capable of taking off in just 600 meters.
Despite its successful maiden flight, the program was abruptly terminated in 1968. The French Air Force procurement office reversed its requirements, deciding to procure jet-powered aircraft instead of turboprops. Consequently, the Hirondelle never entered series production, and the proposed production version—which would have utilized Turbomeca Astazou XVI engines—was never built. A jet-powered variant using Snecma Larzac engines was considered but never materialized. The Hirondelle remains historically significant as the last propeller aircraft produced by Dassault Aviation, marking the company's definitive transition toward the all-jet portfolio of the Falcon business jet series.