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Subject: Dassault Mirage III
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dassault_Mirage_III
The Dassault Mirage III (French pronunciation: ?[mi?a?]) is a family of
single-seat, single-engine, fighter aircraft produced by Dassault Aviation for
the French Air Force and widely exported. Prominent operators included
Argentina, Australia, South Africa, Pakistan and Israel, as well as a number of
non-aligned nations. Though an older design, the second generation fighter is a
fairly maneuverable aircraft and an effective opponent in close range
dogfighting. In French service it was armed with air-to-ground ordnance or R.550
Magic air-to-air missiles.
The versatility of the design enabled production of trainer, reconnaissance and
ground-attack versions as well as the Dassault Mirage 5, Dassault Mirage IIIV
and Atlas Cheetah variants. A Mirage III was the first Western European combat
aircraft to exceed Mach 2 in horizontal flight.
The Mirage III family grew out of French government studies began in 1952 that
led in early 1953 to a specification for a lightweight, all-weather interceptor
capable of climbing to 18,000 meters (59,100 ft) in six minutes and able to
reach Mach 1.3 in level flight.[4] Dassault's response to the specification was
two 9.61 kN (2,160 lbf) Armstrong Siddeley MD30R Viper afterburning turbojets,
with a SEPR 66 liquid-fuel rocket engine to provide boost thrust of 4.7 kN
(1,100 lbf). The aircraft had a tailless delta configuration, with 5% thickness
The tailless delta configuration has a number of limitations. The lack of a
horizontal stabilizer meant flaps cannot be used, resulting in a long takeoff
run and a high landing speed.[citation needed] The delta wing itself limits
maneuverability; and suffers from buffeting at low altitude, due to the large
wing area and resulting low wing loading. However, the delta is a simple and
pleasing design, easily built and robust, capable of high speed in a straight
line, and with plenty of space in the wing for fuel storage.
Role
Interceptor aircraft
Manufacturer
Dassault Aviation
First flight
17 November 1956
Introduction
1961
Status
In service
Primary users
French Air Force (historical)
Pakistan Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force (historical)
Israeli Air Force (historical)
South African Air Force (historical)
Number built
1,422
Variants
Dassault Mirage IIIV
Dassault Mirage 5
Atlas Cheetah
Six Day War
Over the demilitarized zone on the Israeli side of the border with Syria, a
total of six MiGs were shot down the first day Mirages fought the MiGs. In the
Six-Day War, apart from 12 Mirages (four in the air and eight on the ground)
left behind to guard Israel from Arab bombers, all the Mirages were fitted with
bombs, and sent to attack the Arab air bases
Yom Kippur War
In the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the Mirage fleet engaged solely in air-to-air
operations. ACIG.org claims that at least 26 Mirages and Neshers were lost in
air-to-air combat during the war.[15][16][17][unreliable source?] Contrary to
these claims, formal Israeli sources claim only five Israeli Air Force aircraft
were shot down in air-to-air duels.[18] 106 Syrian and Egyptian aircraft were
claimed shot down by Israeli Mirage IIICJ planes, and another 140 aircraft were
claimed by the Nesher derivative.
South African Border War
During the South African Border War, the South African Air Force operated 16
Mirage IIICZ interceptors, 17 Mirage IIIEZ multirole fighter-bombers, and 4
Mirage IIIRZ reconnaissance fighters from bases in South-West Africa.[20]
Despite being recognised as an exceptional dogfighter, the Mirage III generally
lacked the range to make it effective over long distances during strike
operations against People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) insurgents in
Angola.[21] South African pilots also found landing the high-nosed, delta-winged
Mirage III airframe difficult on rudimentary airstrips near the operational
area.
Falklands War
Argentine Air Force used the Mirage IIIEA during the Falklands War (Spanish:
Guerra de las Malvinas). Their lack of aerial refueling capability and long
distance from their bases dramatically reduced their ability as long-range
strike aircraft. Even using two 550-gallon drop tanks to carry extra fuel, the
Mirages (and Daggers) were flying at the absolute limit of their range to reach
the British fleet. The fighters sent to engage the Harrier CAP and cover the
strike force would have no more than five minutes over the target area[23] Their
usual armament consisted of 1 Matra R530 or 2 Magic 1 AAMs. They only entered
combat in one occasion with one being shot down by an AIM-9L Sidewinder and
other destroyed by friendly fire after attempting to land at Port Stanley when
nearly out of fuel.
Specifications (Mirage IIIE)
General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 15.03 m (49 ft 4 in)
Wingspan: 8.22 m (27 ft 0 in)
Height: 4.5 m (14 ft 9 in)
Wing area: 34.85 m2 (375.1 sq ft)
Empty weight: 7,050 kg (15,543 lb)
Gross weight: 9,600 kg (21,164 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 13,700 kg (30,203 lb)
lbf) thrust dry, 60.8 kN (13,700 lbf) with afterburner
thrust
Performance
Maximum speed: 2,350 km/h (1,460 mph; 1,269 kn) at 12,000 m (39,000 ft)
Maximum speed: Mach 2
Combat range: 1,200 km (746 mi; 648 nmi)
Ferry range: 3,335 km (2,072 mi; 1,801 nmi)
Service ceiling: 17,000 m (55,774 ft)
Rate of climb: 237 m/s (46,600 ft/min)
Armament
SNEB rockets and 250 l (66 US gal; 55 imp gal) of fuel
OR
Bombs: 4,000 kg (8,800 lb) of payload on five external hardpoints, including a
variety of bombs, reconnaissance pods or Drop tanks; French Air Force IIIEs
through to 1991 were equipped to carry the AN-52 nuclear bomb.
Avionics
Thomson-CSF Cyrano II radar; Marconi continuous-wave Doppler navigation radar
*
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