Dassault Mirage 2000

History

The Dassault Mirage 2000 has been a formidable interceptor and attack component of the French Air Force over the past three decades. 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, the curved wings are mounted 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 the Mirage 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 Tour 2000

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.

As a standard weapon, the Mirage 2000C uses a pair of 30mm DEFA internal cannons with 125 rounds per artillery system. This can also be supplemented by carrying similar gun pods under the wings or fuselage, if desired.

There are a total of nine underwing and fuselage mounts, capable of providing external storage of up to 13,900 pounds of gross weight - this includes fuel storage and ammunition. Mirage 2000 has been approved to use guided missiles, "dumb" missile pods, and conventionally dropped bombs if necessary. As such, it can be used as an air-to-air deterrent, air-to-surface attack vehicle or ship interceptor.

Special ordnance provisions may include its nuclear payload, runway denial weapons, and cluster bombs to meet mission requirements.

Despite the name, the Mirage 2000B two-seater trainer series actually inherits the service from the Mirage 2000C model. The first flight was recorded in October 1980, with 30 airframes delivered to the French Air Force. In addition to accommodating a second pilot, the fuselage of this version is slightly longer than that of the single-seat Mirage 2000C to accommodate the instructor's cockpit, but at the expense of some interior bulk.

The aircraft is equipped with dual controls for very specific training purposes.

The Phantom 2000N is the nuclear version of the Phantom 2000 series, which first flew in February 1983. Deliveries of the 75 aircraft (based on the two-seat Phantom 2000B model) began in 1987 and finally reached operational status in 1988. The aircraft proved crucial to deterring the Soviet Union, and the model officially replaced the Phantom Nuclear Strike Model III, with a slightly modified fuselage to fit the role expected of nuclear-capable jet fighters of that era. The Phantom 2000D appeared (1993) as a similar two-seater variant, although thanks to its terrain-following navigation system, it was optimized for all-weather, low-altitude strike roles, day or night. This model was born out of an improved nuclear-capable version of the Phantom 2000N and made its maiden flight in February 1991.

At least 86 aircraft of this type were eventually delivered to the waiting French Air Force. A special reconnaissance version exists as the Mirage 2000R with full air-to-air capability.

Mirage 2000 as an export product

Like other Mirage platforms before it, Mirage 2000 has been the subject of various quantitative export orders. As a result, Dassault developed an export-oriented design to meet the global demand for a high-performance fighter jet with strike capability. This became the Phantom 2000E, a single-seat multipurpose variant based on the original Phantom 2000C Interceptor. This type is equipped with RDM+ radar and SNECMA M53-P2 series turbofan engine.

The Mirage 2000E joins a two-seat trainer known as the Mirage 2000ED. Egypt purchased Mirage 2000M export fighter jets and Mirage 2000BM trainer aircraft. India sourced this Mirage 2000H and called it "King Kong" or "Thunder" in their inventory - these mounts can be used permanently when upgraded. Peru calls their Mirage 2000 the Mirage 2000P and has 12 aircraft of this type, two of which are trainers. Taiwan later bought fighter jets and trainers from France.

Other operators are Brazil, Greece, United Arab Emirates and Qatar. With 315 aircraft, France naturally has the largest fleet of Mirage 2000 aircraft, second only to the UAE with 68, Taiwan with 60, India with about 50 and Egypt with 20.

Qatar, Peru and Brazil each have just a dozen Mirage 2000s in their stables.

Ultimate Mirage 2000

Additional design work by Dassault culminated in the development of the much-improved and modernized Mirage 2000-5 multi-role series, starting in 1997 with two different brands (Mark I and Mark II) as single- or two-seater The seat-delivering aircraft can now be equipped with an upgraded engine with more internal power, five cockpit CRT screens for improved mission management, and a Thales RDY compatible with Matera Mica air-to-air missiles. Other updates include a Thales Nahar FLIR navigation system, helmet-mounted sights, laser pods for guided munitions self-targeting, and an autopilot system with terrain tracking.

The multi-mode mission radar features multi-target tracking and engagement, as well as "look down, shoot down" operations.

The Dassault Phantom 4000 is a "one-off" prototype fighter/strike platform developed from the Phantom 2000 and first flew on March 9, 1979 to meet Saudi air requirements. The program was eventually scrapped after Saudi Arabia decided to procure the U.S. McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle.

At least 600 Mirage 2000s have been produced to date, each costing $23 million.

Phantom 2000 battle participation

The Phantom 2000 was used against Saddam Hussein's forces during the 1991 Gulf War. Air superiority was quickly achieved, allowing for a large-scale ground campaign. Her resume was further lengthened during the decade due to her involvement in the Bosnia/Kosovo war in the late 1990s. As part of Operation Enduring Freedom following the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, French Mirage 2000 aircraft were again deployed to attack ground Taliban and Al Qaeda strongholds (the enemy lacked air power). Oil production was recently threatened when French Air Force Mirage 2000s were spotted over Libya trying to contain Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's forces to counter an ongoing insurgency.

The Mirage 2000 is primarily used to protect the skies in NATO's "no-fly zone".

Specification

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