Dassualt Mirage III/5/50
Photo from nasma.com
The Mirage III program is the most successful fighter program in western Europe since the second world war. The tailess delta wing Mirage III/5/50 fighters serve over twenty air forces worldwide in many many variants. The III was originally designed as an interceptor armed with missiles and cannons, but the design was so successful that Mirages soon began to carry out ground attack missions. The Mirage III was blooded in the Arab Isreali wars and had a reputation which gathered orders from around the world. The American competitors were the F-5 and F-104, but neither was proven as the Mirage III had been. The Mirage 5 was developed from the Mirage IIIE fighter bomber and became another successful interceptor. The Mirage 50 offered more of the same. The 50 was up-engined and generally offered better all-around performance. Mirages have undergone significant upgrades in Isreal to become the Kfir and in South Africa to become the Atlas Cheetah.
Specifications
(Data pricipally for IIIE)
Origin: Dassault Aviation, France
Type: (all variants) Originally all-weather interceptor, now performs ground attack, trainer, and reconaissance, IIIE is a fighter bomber
Crew: Pilot or 2
Powerplant: One SNECMA Atar 9C afterburning tubojet delivering 6 200 kg (13 670 lbs) of thrust
Dimensions
Span: 8.22 m (27')
Height: 4.25 m (13' 11.5")
Length: 15.03 m (49' 3.5")
Maximum Loaded Weight: 13 500 kg (29 760 lbs)
Performance
Maximum Speed: Mach 2.2 (2 335 kph) (1 450 mph)
Sea Level Speed: Mach 1.14 (1 400 kph) (870 mph)
Climb Rate: 5 000 m (16 400 feet) / min
Combat Range: 1 200 km (745 miles)
Service Ceiling: 17 000 m (55 775 feet)
Armament
Two DEFA 30 mm cannons with 125 rounds each & three external harpoints each rated at 454 kg (1 000 lbs) they carry bombs, missiles, or fuel tanks.
First Flight: Prototype November 17, 1956
User(s): (III) Abu Dhabi, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Egypt, France, Isreal, Lebanon, Libya, Pakistan, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Venezuela; (5) Abu Dhabi, Belgium, Colombia, Egypt, Gabon, Libya, Pakistan, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Democratic Republic of Congo; (50) Chile
Production: 1 410
Unit Cost:
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