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Dassault Mirage 2000 (M2000)

1979 ALLIED FORCE COLD WAR GULF WAR MODERN

History of the Dassault Mirage 2000 (M2000)

Over the past three decades, the Dassault Mirage 2000 has become a formidable interception and attack component of the French Air Force. She has since proven herself in extreme combat conditions and as part of a NATO task force imposing a "no-fly zone" over Libya, witnessed operations in Europe, the Middle East and - most recently - North Africa, witnessing 2 Insurgency of 2011 Although the aircraft is currently being replaced by the more advanced multi-role Dassault Rafale fighter jets, the Dassault Mirage 2000 continues to play an important role in the operations of the French Air Force as well as other air forces around the world.

Dassault Aviation

The French Dassault Aviation Group made a considerable name for itself during the Cold War. The company was founded in 1930 and is headquartered in Paris, France. While World War II in Europe destroyed much of its early potential, the company regrouped during the formative years of French reconstruction.

After the war, the company produced some of the best French jet-powered platforms, with notable success in overseas markets. In 1979, the French government bought a stake in Dassault and has since owned more than 46% of the company. Today, the company has more than 12,400 employees.

Some of Dassault's most important developments during this pivotal period became Dassault Ouragan in 1949. Ouragan is best known for being the first indigenous jet fighter after World War II. Until then, the country's survival depends entirely on foreign purchases of jets.

The 1952 Dassault Mystere IV proved to be another very successful design with its simple appearance and jet-powered nature. The first "real" success came from the Dassault Mirage III series, a sleek, streamlined stand powered by a single motor in a delta wing configuration with a single vertical tail. Introduced in 1956, the aircraft proved to be an excellent air-to-air and air-to-ground platform, especially in Israeli hands during the 1967 Six-Day War. The Dassault Phantom F.1 was the next logical progression in the series, but was moved away from the delta wing plan. Instead, mount the curved wings on the shoulders.

This type, like the Mirage III before it, is yet another success for Dassault, a true multirole jet fighter. Export data proved strong.

Birth of a Phantom?? 2000

By this time, other, more modern projects had begun work to replace the original product. The origins of the Phantom 2000 itself lie in the original joint Anglo-French program, titled Anglo-French Variable Geometry (AFVG), to produce a "swing-wing" utility aircraft platform. The program began in 1965, but the French withdrew from the program after only two years of participation, leading to the program's official cancellation. In any case, the British later worked with the West Germans and Italians to eventually produce the successful Panavia Tornado rotary-wing multirole attack aircraft from the ensuing Multirole Combat Aircraft (MRCA) program. At the same time, Dassault engineers continued to work on several products to meet the evolving requirements of the French government, namely the "Avion de Combat Futur" (ACF - Combat Aircraft of the Future) or "Super Phantom".

The earlier approach of using two SNECMA M53-3 turbofans was deemed too large and unsatisfactory, leading to the project being cancelled by the French government in 1975. A new requirement in 1976 was to find a low cost and lightweight solution to rebuild a single SNECMA engine and a smaller overall size.

The new aircraft design direction is called "Phantom 2000".

Phantom 2000 Walking Tour

Externally, the Mirage 2000 has the same aerodynamics as the previous Mirage III. Dassault engineers attempted to address the predecessor's handling issues and low-level range limitations by implementing a delta wing configuration and fly-by-wire computer control network that would help the fuselage remain stable when aerodynamic laws dictate otherwise - Phantom 2000 It was Dassault's first aircraft to use this technology. He will also introduce HOTAS (hand throttle and stick) controls, HUD (head-up display) and CRT screens in the cockpit of French fighter jets. The Thomson-CSF RDM multimode mission radar will be mounted under the nose cone to aid in target tracking and engagement.

The Mirage 2000 will be primarily classified as an interceptor, but the strike capability with additional strength and power will come from a single SNECMA M53-5 afterburner turbofan engine delivering 19,800 pounds of thrust. The fuselage is light and thin, resulting in the agile system the French government is trying to achieve.

French authorities approved the design on December 18, 1975, as a replacement for the aging Phantom F.1 series.

Mirage 2000 addresses two major problems with previous Mirage forms. The delta wing scheme allows for greater internal fuel recharging, which directly increases combat range, and also allows for significantly more weapons to be carried. Conversely, such an arrangement also resulted in inherently poor performance, instability and inflexibility, so digital fly-by-wire proved to be critical to the success of their designs. A single SNECMA powerplant is aspirated by a system of split air intake ducts that begin on either side of the single-seat cockpit. To maintain a streamlined shape, the contours of the cockpit blend directly into the fuselage spine.

The nose cone looks very sharp, and the vertical stabilizer is mounted far aft, above the large circular exhaust ring aft of the SNECMA engine. Due to the plane's delta wing plane form, the tail of the design does not require a horizontal tail.

The landing gear is traditional tricycle shape and fully retractable. The in-flight refueling probe is permanently attached to the right side of the front of the cockpit along the forward fuselage.

Phantom 2000 variant

Five prototypes were eventually produced, the first of which flew over Ister on March 10, 1978. Early reviews are very encouraging, proving that the Mirage 2000 concept is rock solid, capable of surpassing previous Mirage products, even some. Serial production was secured, and the first Mirage 2000 produced became the single-seat interceptor series "Mirage 2000C" ("C" stands for "Chasseur", meaning "fighter"). The aircraft made its maiden flight on November 20, 1982, and the following year the French Air Force accepted deliveries of some 124 aircraft, and its first squadron entered service in 1984.

Originally, the Phantom 2000C was equipped with a multi-mode Thompson-CSF RDM/RDI pulsed Doppler radar system in the nose, which later gave way to the more advanced Thales RDY radar, allowing the use of "Track While" to track up to 24 individual Targeted Scan, focusing on eight of these threats.

The Mirage 2000C is powered by a SNECMA M53-P2 afterburner turbofan engine that provides up to 21,400 pounds of thrust when reheated (afterburning) and up to 14,500 pounds of thrust at standard thrust. Top speed is Mach 2.2 (over 1,500 mph), and the range is 963 miles on internal fuel and a pair of external drop tanks.

Service is capped at about 60,000 feet, with an impressive climb rate of nearly 56,000 feet per minute.

Specification

Base

Year of Service

1979

Origins

France

Status

Active.

Crew

Production

611

Manufacturer

Dassault Aviation - France

Carrier

Brazil (retired);Egypt;France;Greece;India;Peru;Qatar;Taiwan;United Arab Emirates

scrolling

air-to-air combat, fighter

The general ability to actively attack other aircraft of similar form and function, usually using guns, missiles and/or airborne missiles.

Intercept

The ability to intercept incoming airborne threats with high performance, usually speed and rate of climb.

Ground attack (bombing, strafing)

The ability to conduct air strikes against ground targets using (but not limited to) artillery, bombs, rockets, rockets, etc.

Notable Features

Radar Capability

Houses may house (via specialized variants) radars for searching, tracking, and attacking enemy elements.

Countermeasures

Onboard electronic or physical countermeasures taken by the aircraft or pilot/crew to enhance survivability.

wing sweep

The main plane or leading edge has retraction lines for improved high-speed performance and handling.

Sturdy aircraft frame

The inherent ability of the airframe to take significant damage.

High-speed performance

Can accelerate to higher speeds than the average aircraft at the time.

High performance

The ability to fly and operate at higher altitudes than the average aircraft of the day.

A2A Cheer up

Ability to receive fuel in flight from waiting friendly aircraft.

Operation Lakes

Able to operate over the ocean and survive certain harsh marine environments.

Pilot/crew ejection system

Auxiliary procedures to allow pilot and/or crew ejection in the event of an air emergency.

Depression in crew members

Support the pressurization required for crew survival at higher operating altitudes.

Closed crew room

There are partially or fully enclosed crew work areas.

Scalable

Has retractable/retractable landing gear to maintain aerodynamic efficiency.

Dimensions and Weight

Length

47. 1 ft

(14.36m)

Width/span

30. 0 feet

(9.13m)

Height

17. 1 ft

(5.20m)

Cured weight

16,535 lbs

(7,500 kg)

MTOW

37,479 lbs

(17,000 kg)

Wgt Difference

+20,944 lbs

(+9,500 kg)

Main Aircraft Structure

Monoplane/Lower/Tripod

Monoplane

Designed to use a single main wing main aircraft; this is the most popular arrangement of main aircraft.

install low

The main aircraft is mounted low on the side of the fuselage.

bias

The plane takes the general shape of a triangle, where the leading edge is swept back for high speed efficiency and the trailing edge is straight.

(The structure descriptor refers to the production variant Dassault Mirage 2000C)

Performance

Installed:

1 x SNECMA M53-P2 afterburner turbofan engine producing 21,385 lbs of thrust.

Maximum speed

1,453 km/h

(2,338 km/h | 1,262 knots)

Maximum

54,035 feet

(16,470 m | 10 km)

Area

1,150 km

(1,850 km | 3,426 nautical miles)

rate of climb

56,000 ft/min

(17,069 m/min)

Weapons

Standard, fixed: 2 x 30mm DEFA internal turrets located under the hull. Optional: Mission-specific ammunition may include (up to 14,000 lbs): Matera "Magic 2" Air-to-Air Missile (AAM), Matera "Super 530D" Air-to-Air Missile, Matera "Super 530S" Air-to-Air Missile Air-to-air missiles, laser-guided bombs (LGB), conventional duds, anti-runway munition dispensers, anti-runway bombs, cluster bombs, AS-30L air-to-surface missiles (ASM), "Armat" anti-radiation/anti-radar missiles (ARM) ), AM 39" Flying Fish Anti-Ship Missile (ASM) and nuclear standoff missile.