 The Dassault company designed a light transport aircraft in the late 1950s, designated MD.415 and later named "Communauté", as a potential replacement for the Dassault MD 315 Flamant in its trainer, command transport or ambulance aircraft roles.The Communauté was a cantilever low-wing monoplane with retractable tricycle landing gear with room for two crew and up to ten passengers.Powered by two wing-mounted Turbomeca Bastan turboprops, the prototype ("F-WJDN") first flew on 10 May 1959.