Dassault Mirage III

     Notes: The Mirage IIIE was the last version of the Mirage III fighter-bomber, used by many countries worldwide, including Argentina, Brazil, Pakistan, South Africa, Switzerland, Brazil, and Pakistan.  The Mirage III (and its predecessors, the prototypical Mirage I and II) was conceived at a time when, seeing the performance in the Korean War of light, simple aircraft such as the MiG-15, sought to produce more powerful, but still simple air superiority fighters. It has excellent high-speed characteristics, but its delta design limits maneuverability at low speeds, and takeoff and landing runs are long.  The Mirage III saw a long service life with several countries, particularly the Israelis, who employed them in combat often, producing several double and some triple aces among its pilots. Perhaps its weakest point is the inability to be refueled in flight; another weakness is the lack of defensive electronics and countermeasures.

     The Mirage III is a sleek, slender fuselage and needle nose coupled with a large delta wing and a swept vertical stabilizer. The pilot has good visibility except to the rear. The Mirage III has the capability to use both radar-homing and heat-seeking air-to-air missiles, but radar homing missiles may only be carried on the centerline hardpoint. (Dassault pioneered the MERs that are able to carry AAMs and a drop tank on the same hardpoint due to the lack of hardpoints available.) The initial Mirage IIIA is equipped with a Cyrano I air intercept radar with only a short range, though it is enough for the radar-homing R.530 AAMs of the day.  First flight took place in May 1958, with the Mirage IIIA powered by a SNECMA Atar 9B turbojet with delivered 9430 pounds thrust dry and 13669 pounds thrust in afterburner.  This was enough to propel the Mirage IIIA to Mach 2 speeds, the first European aircraft to do so.

     The Mirage IIIA was built largely as a test aircraft, but low-scale production was undertaken, with 10 being produced so operational testing could be undertaken.  The Mirage IIIB is a trainer version of the IIIC; the Mirage IIID is a trainer variant of the Mirage IIIE.  (They will not be statted here.) The Mirage IIIC is mostly similar externally to the IIIA, but is over a half a meter longer and stuffed with additional electronics, including a more powerful Cyrano I bis radar, and has two additional wing hardpoints.  A still more powerful radar was installed in late production Mirage IIICs. The Israeli Mirage IIICJ has a more powerful Atar 9C engine, made from stolen plans; this produces 10669 pounds thrust dry and 13737 pounds thrust in afterburner.  The South African Mirage IIICZ has the engine of the Mirage V and some additional electronics. The Atar 9K-50 engine of the Mirage IIICZ produces 11055 pounds thrust dry and 15872 pounds thrust in afterburner. The Mirage IIIE has an Atar 9C-3 engine (easier to maintain, but the same power as the 9C above), upgraded electronics, defensive countermeasures, and leading-edge slats that allow better handling; it is, however, much heavier than most other Mirages. The radar is dual-role, able to handle ground attack as well as air intercepts.

     The Mirage III ROSE (Retrofit of Strike Element) gave Pakistani Mirage IIIEs the same upgrade program as applied to their Mirage 5s. These upgrades included a new HUD, glass cockpit conversion and HOTAS controls, new RWR, a radar altimeter, better countermeasure systems, and new navigation/attack systems. The ROSE upgrades also give the Mirage III two more hardpoints under the forward fuselage, normally taken up with laser designators and EOTS pods.

     1968 produced three prototypes of a French/Swiss Mirage initiative called Milan. The primary feature was a set of pop-out foreplanes on the nose that the Milan designers called moustaches.  These aided handling and maneuvering and shortened takeoff and landing runs, but also partially blocked the pilot’s forward vision and set up turbulence at the engine air intakes, potentially disrupting air flow into the intakes. The Milan also had upgraded avionics (roughly to the later Mirage IIIE level), but also including a nose-mounted laser rangefinder/designator.

     Dassault experimented with a Mirage IIIR in 1982, producing the Mirage IIING (Nouvelle Generation, or New Generation). The Mirage IIING had leading edge slats, leading edge root extensions, and fixed canards above and behind the air intakes, which improved handling in a manner similar to the Milan’s moustaches, but did not block observation from the cockpit. The Mirage IIING was made deliberately unstable, and this instability was controlled by a fly-by-wire system for the control surfaces. Like the US F-16, this very instability increases maneuverability. The avionics were completely upgraded to the state of the art at the time.  The engine was replaced with the Mirage 5’s Atar 9K-50 turbojet, which provided a great increase in power. The aircraft navigated with inertial navigation, with a terrain following radar mode. First flight was in 1982. This upgrade never made it into production, but some improvements, particularly the avionics, were used on later Mirage IIIEs and export variants.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: France and Israel kept some Mirage IIIs in reserve and trotted them out during the Twilight War, mostly late Mirage IIICs and Mirage IIIEs.

Dassault Mirage 2000

     Notes: This fighter-bomber was the replacement for the Mirage III and Mirage 5 in French service and is also in the service of Abu Dhabi, Brazil, Egypt, Greece, India, Peru, Qatar, and Taiwan. The Mirage 2000 differs from the earlier Mirages by having a more powerful engine, better avionics, and a higher weapon load, along with air-to-air/air-to-ground capability comparable to the US F/A-18 in its flexibility. The Mirage 2000 has seen combat service in Desert Storm, Bosnian War, Kosovo War, Afghanistan, and Syria in French service; it has also seen combat in the hands of India, UAE, Peru, and Ukraine. Deliveries of the Mirage 2000 began in 1983, after a first flight in 1982.

     One might be forgiven for thinking of the Mirage 2000 as a larger, more powerful Mirage III or 5, but though the design is superficially similar, there are numerous design changes that make the Mirage 2000 a new aircraft. The Mirage 2000 fighter variant is designated the Mirage 2000C (for chasseur, or fighter). The Mirage has small leading edge root extensions to the wings, and leading-edge slats, the engine is more powerful and is a more economical turbofan, and the radar is upgraded to use what were then the newest French radar-homing missiles (the Matra Super 530D). The radar also has improved look-down/shoot-down capability as well as several other important radar modes. Electronic and decoy defense means are likewise improved. The wings themselves are also larger in relation to the aircraft’s weight than the Mirage III or 5. The tail fin is larger than the Mirage III, and there are small strakes on the sides of the intakes to increase handling and particularly high angle of attack handling and post-stall maneuvering. The Mirage 2000 has a total of nine hardpoints, four under the wings and five under the fuselage.

     The “Early” Mirage 2000C listed below applies to the first 37 Mirage 2000Cs. They are equipped with the Thomson-CSF Radar Doppler Multifunction (RDM) and the SNECMA M53-5 turbofan engine, which develops 12230 pounds thrust dry and 19400 pounds thrust in afterburner. Versions after the 37^th have the more maintenance-friendly M53-P2 engine developing 14500 pounds thrust dry and 21400 pounds thrust in afterburner, and more powerful radar to more closely match the BVR capability of the Super 530D missile. The Mirage 2000-5 uses a still more powerful radar and more radar functions, including Multitarget engagements and a full glass cockpit and air-to-air/air-to-surface switching. The Mirage 2000-9 (also known as the Mirage 2000-5Mk2) is like the Mirage 2000-5, but has a more advanced defensive package. The Mirage 2000-5 first flew in 1992, with the Mirage 2000-9 appearing a few years later. Most export variants are modified primarily with country-specific cockpits and the ability to carry a specific country’s weapons and hardpoint stores.

*The Mirage 2000-9 has an armored cockpit and canopy which have an AV of 7.

Dassault Mirage F1

     Notes: The Mirage F1 is a French-built fighter-bomber used by 11 countries, including Ecuador, France, Greece, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Morocco, Qatar, South Africa, Spain, and Taiwan.  Unlike the normal delta-winged Mirage, the F1 has a normal swept wing and tail, allowing greater control at low altitudes and speeds.  The F1 has seen combat service with several nations in ten different conflicts. The F1 grew out of the AFVG (Anglo-French Variable Geometry) program; while the AFVG program produced only single prototypes, the idea of a swept wing variant of the Mirage proceeded, with the first F1 prototype flying in 1966, and first deliveries to the French Air Force taking place in 1973.

     The Mirage F1 has a Mirage III fuselage with a set of swept wings instead of a delta wing; the Mirage F1 has larger fuselage fuel tanks and a nearly all-wet wing (full of fuel tanks). The wings are shoulder-mounted rather than being low-mounted like on the Mirage III, and are thicker than those of the Mirage III. The wings have double-slotted flaps and full-length leading-edge slats.  Three of its seven hardpoints may mount drop tanks (two wing and one underfuselage), and its two wingtip hardpoints may mount only air-to-air or antiradiation missiles.  The aircraft has an ejection seat and a refueling probe.  The Cyrano IV-1 radar was advanced for its time, and provides air intercept, strike, and terrain following modes; however, the Cyrano IV had at first a tendency to overheat, limiting its effectiveness. Communications include a standard radio set and an air-to-ground radio, as well as TACAN and an air-to-ground data link. Other avionics include an autopilot and a radar altimeter. The Atar 9K-50 engine of the Mirage F1 produces 11055 pounds thrust dry and 15872 pounds thrust in afterburner.

     The first version was the F1C; it is a multirole combat aircraft capable of interception, ground attack, armed reconnaissance, or fighter roles.  The F1C-200 and later versions add a fixed aerial refueling probe to the front left of the windscreen and are seven centimeters longer. The F1B is a two-seat variant of this aircraft; it will not be covered here.  The F1CT is an F1C with upgraded avionics and air-to-air systems; its role is primarily air superiority.  The F1E is a dedicated strike aircraft with avionics more oriented to this role.  The F1D is a trainer version of the F1E; it will not be covered here.  The South African F1A is an attack variant without radar.  The F1S is an upgraded F1C for the Spanish Air Force.

Dassault Rafale

     Notes: This French multi-role aircraft was slated to replace the Jaguar and Mirage 2000 in most roles, but its introduction has been rather slow, and costs have escalated well beyond those expected.  It is an advanced aircraft that is just as good as a fighter as an attack aircraft, and is in a class with the US F/A-18 in that regard.  It is, however, a more advanced aircraft, with an excellent avionics suite and the capability to carry just about any sort of weapon. The first austere version, the Rafale A, flew in 1987, with a full Rafale C version flying in 1991, and the two-seater Rafale B and naval Rafale M in 1993. Budgetary difficulties meant that full production was not undertaken until 1997. The Rafale has several innovative features, such as a speech-based human-machine interface. Construction is largely of composite RAM (Radar Absorbent Materials), and additional stealth features such as a gold-plated canopy. Initial design was mostly done on computers, and upgrades were simulated on computers before being incorporated into test aircraft. Software is open sourced and components are modular, easing the upgrade process.

     The rafale is used by France, India, Qatar, Greece, Croatia, UAE and Indonesia, with possible future sales to Serbia, Brazil, Iraq, Malaysia, and Peru.

     The Rafale is designed with a partially flattened fuselage, a delta wing, and active close coupled canards.  The Rafale has been made deliberately unstable, with fly-by-wire controls maintaining stable flight and assisting the pilot in maneuvers. The canards, leading edge root extensions, and full-span leading edge slats contribute both to general maneuverability and low-speed handling as well as shortening takeoff and landing runs.  Tests have seen the ability to stay in the air at as slow 28 kilometers per hour, though this is not a standard maneuver. Computers keep the pilot from being flooded with information from the sensors by prioritizing information for importance, and the computer’s priorities may be overridden by the crew. The computers also provide an EW Suite and integrate the navigation and attack capabilities. The Rafale is powered by two SNECMA M88 turbofans, each developing 11240 pounds thrust dry and 16860 pounds thrust in afterburner. Of the 14 hardpoints, the two on the wingtips may only be used for air-to-air missiles or ECM/IRCM pods.  Five hardpoints, two on each wing and one on the centerline, are suitable for heavy loads, such as cruise missiles or drop tanks. The Rafale can also carry two CFTs (Conformal Fuel Tanks) carrying 2300 liters between the two of them.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: The Rafale was introduced shortly before the Twilight War, and few actually saw service during that conflict.

*The Rafale is Supercruise capable.