Dassault
Mirage Ill and 5
Mirage III and 5
Origin: Avions Marcel Dassault/Breguet Aviation, France (actual manu-
facture dispersed through European industry and certain madels assembled
in Belgium, Switzerland and Australia)
Single-seat or two-seat interceptor, tactical strike, trainer or recon.
aireraft (depending on sub-type)
Engine: (II|C) 13.225ib (6000kg) thrust (maximum afterburner) SNECMA,
Atar 9B single-shaft turbojet; (most other Ill and some 8) 13,670Ib (6200kg)
Atar 9C; (some Ill and 50) 15.873Ib (7200kg) Atar 9K-50; (Kfir
see separate entry)
Dimensions: Span 27ft (8:22m); length (IIIC) 5Of 104in (15-5m); (IIIB)
5Oft Gin (154m), (6) 51ft (15:55m), height 13f 114in (4-25m)
Weights: Empty (IC) 13,570!b (6156kg): (IIE) 15,540!b (7050kq);
(IIR) 14,550lb (6600kg), (111B) 13,820Ib (6270kg); (5) 14,550Ib (6600kq)
loaded (IIIC) 19.700Ib (8936kq); (INE, IIR. 5) 29.760Ib (13.500kq), (HIB)
26,455lb (12,.000kg)
Performance: Maximum speed (all models. clean) B63mph (1390km/h)
(Mach 1-14) at sea level. 1.460mph (2350km/h) (Mach 2:2) at altitude:
initial climb, over 16.400ft (5000m)/min (time to 36.090ft 11,000m, 3 min)
service ceiling (Mach 1:8) 55.775ft (17,000m): range (clean) at altitude
about 1,000 miles (1610km); combat radius in attack mission with bombs.
and tanks (mix not specified) 745 miles (1200km); ferry range with three
external tanks 2,485 miles (4000km)
Armament: Two 30mm DEFA 6-52 cannon, each with 125 rounds
(normally fitted to all versions except when IIIC carries rocket-boost pack)
three 1,000lb (454kg) external pylons for bombs, missiles or tanks (Mirage 5.
seven external pylons with maximum capacity of 9,260Ib. 4200kg)
History: First flight (MD.&50 Mirage |) 26 June 1955; (prototype Mirage
(1-001) 1% November 1956; (pre-production Mirage II|A) 12 May 1958;
(production IC} 9 October 1960; (IIIE) 5 April 1961, (IIR) 31 October
1961; (1B) 19 July 1962; (Australian-assembled 1110) 16 November 1963;
(Swiss-assembled IIIS} 28 October 1965: (prototype 5) 19 May 1967;
(Belgian-assembled 5BA) May 1970
Users: (II) Abu Dhabi, Argentina. Australia, Brazil, Egypt, France, Israel
Lebanon, Libya, Pakistan, S Africa, Spain, Switzerland. Venezuela: (5)
Abu Dhabi, Belgium, Colombia, Egypt, France, Gabon, Libya, Pakistan,
Peru, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Zaire.
Right: Like the aircraft above
this Mirage IIIEP, of No 5 Sqn
Pakistan Air Force, saw
actual combat (against India).Above: Three-view of Mirage 5, showing multi-sensor pods.
Development: The Mirage. which has come to symbolise modern aerial
cambat and to bring additional trade 10 France and incalculable prestige
especially in defence hardware, began in a most uncertain fashion. It was
conceived in parallel with the Etendard Il to meet the same Armee de |’Air
ight interceptor specification of 1952 and was likewise to be powered by
two small turbojets (but, in this case, boosted by a liquid-propellant racket
engine in addition). As the small French engines were not ready. Dassault
fitted the Mirage | with two British Viper turbajets and before the rocket was
fitted this small delta was. dived to Mach 1-15. With the rocket it reached
Mach 1:3 in level flight. But Dassault had no faith in the concept of such
jow-power aircraft and after some work on the twin-Gabizo Mirage II took
the plunge and produced a bigger and heavier Mirage III. powered by the
8.820lb thrust Atar 101G_ From this sternmed the pre-production IIIA, with
larger but thinner wing and completely redesigned fuselage housing the
new Atar 9 engine. On 24 October 1958 Mirage II|A-01 became the first
West European aircraft to attain Mach 2 in level flight.
This clinched the decision of the Armée de I’Air ta buy 100 of a slightly
developed interceptor called Mirage IIIC, fitted either with guns or with a
boast rocket for faster climb and better combat performance at heights up tom
Left: The fame of the Mirage
dated from the amazing air-
combat performance of Heyl
Ha’ Avir pilots in the 1967 war.82.000ft. Normaily the SEP 844 rocket was fitted to the IIIC, the sole
armament being aif-to-air missiles, such as Sidewinders and the big Matra
R.530 used in cenjunction with the CSF Cyrano radar, fitted to permit the
new fighter to operate in all weather. Altogether 244 C models were
delivered, large batches also going to South Africa and Israel (a nation
which did much to develop and promote beth the III and the 5}. From the
IIIC emerged the dual-control II/B trainer, the longer and heavier IIIE for
ground attack (with Marcani doppler radar for blind low-level navigation
new fire-control and navigation computer, and increased internal fuel) and
the IIIR family of camera-equipped reconnaissance aircraft. By 1977 about
1,200 of the M \I| family had been sold, including a fairly standard
version made in Australia and an extremely non-standard version made in
Switzerland after painful development problems which inflated the price
and reduced the numbers hought
In 1965 Israel suggested that Dassault should produce a special VFR
(clear weather) version for ground attack in the Middle East. with the radar and
fire control avionics removed and replaced by an extra 110 gallons of fuel and
more bombs. The result was the Mirage 5 and Israel bought 50 of the first