During the 1940s , the French transport fleet consisted mostly on C-47 and Ju 52 aircraft left over from World War II. A new medium-weight design was necessary and so the Nord Noratlas was born with a similar twin-boom arrangement as the US C-82. The Noratlas also featured rear-opening clamshell doors which allowed for ease of loading and soon proved its worth by being shown superior to the C-82 during trials. Orders were immediately received by the Armée de l'Air which used it extensively as a cargo transport but, perhaps most visibly, as a paratroop carrier where it saw action during the 1956 Suez Crisis and later in the Algerian crisis. The Nordatlas was also widely exported to up to 10 other foreign air forces which included Germany (where it was license produced) as well as Israel and Greece which used them in the Six Day War and the Turkish invasion of Cyprus respectively. Largely replaced by the C.160 in French service, some were still in service with the Armee de l'Air until 1989 as electronic warfare platforms.

The prototype N.2500 had its maiden flight on 10 September 1949 but its Gnome-Rhone 14R engines proved defficient until replaced by locally built Bristol Hercules engines in the production N.2501 while a Sigint and electronic warfare platform was known as the N.2501 Gabriel. Foreign versions included the N.2501D for Germany which was built by Flugzeugbau Nord, the N.2501IS (Israel), and the N.2502F (Portugal). Civil versons began with the N.2501A followed by the N.2501A and B.