Dassault Mirage 4000

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Mirage 4000
Dassault Mirage 4000, France AN2164548.jpg
Mirage 4000 prototype
General information
TypePrototype fighter aircraft
National originFrance
Manufacturer Dassault-Breguet
StatusProgram cancelled in 1988
Primary user French Air Force (intended)
Number built1
History
First flight9 March 1979
Developed from Dassault Mirage 2000
Mirage 4000 prototype displayed at the Musee de l'Air et de l'Espace at Le Bourget, France Mirage4000-bourget.jpg
Mirage 4000 prototype displayed at the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace at Le Bourget, France

The Dassault Mirage 4000 (sometimes called the Super Mirage 4000) is a French prototype twinjet fighter aircraft developed by Dassault-Breguet from their Mirage 2000.

Contents

Design and development

The Mirage 4000 was noticeably larger and heavier than the single-engined Mirage 2000, the 4000 having two SNECMA M53-2 turbofans. [1] It also featured small canards above the engine air intakes and a true bubble canopy, compared to the Mirage 2000 and previous Mirages. Despite the changes, the two aircraft remained similar, sharing the delta wing design, semi-conical Oswatitsch-type air intakes, and general configuration.[ citation needed ]

The Mirage 4000 first flew on 9 March 1979. [1] It was financed as a private venture by Dassault. [1] The Mirage 4000 was comparable in size to the United States F-15 Eagle, and was designed to be both a long-range interceptor and a fighter-bomber.

In the early 1980s, Dassault ended the program shortly after the Royal Saudi Air Force ordered a large number of Panavia Tornado aircraft. Iran had been lost as a potential customer after the Iranian Revolution in 1979. [2] The French Air Force preferred to concentrate on the Mirage 2000, leaving Dassault with no customers. Some of the expertise thus gained would later influence the Dassault Rafale. [3]

The prototype made a total of 336 flights, the last taking place on January 8, 1988. [4]

The only prototype moved to its final residence at the Musée de l'air et de l'espace (Paris Air and Space Museum) in November 1992. [5]

Specifications (Mirage 4000)

Dassault Mirage 4000 and Mirage 2000B top-view silhouette comparison.png

Data from Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1984–85, [6] Dassault Aviation [7]

General characteristics

Performance

Armament

  • up to 3× 2,500 L (660 US gal; 550 imp gal) drop tanks
  • FLIR pod
  • Recce pod
  • ATLIS II laser designator pod
  • up to 4× rocket pods
  • 2× long-range AAM
  • 8-14 advanced AAMs
  • up to 4 AGMs
  • up to 27 × 250 kg (551 lb) bombs

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

  1. 1 2 3 Jackson, Paul A. (1985). Mirage : Modern combat Aircraft 23 (1st ed.). Shepperton: I. Allan. pp. 116–117. ISBN   9780711015128.
  2. Mirage 4000 Origins and prototypes
  3. "Mirage 4000".
  4. Alexis Rochet, Super Mirage 4000, le rêve inachevé, Skyshelf (Bruxelles), 1er mai 2023, 152 p. ISBN   9789083330105
  5. "Dassault Super Mirage 4000 - Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace". Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace. Retrieved 2021-05-17.
  6. Taylor, John W.R., ed. (1984). Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1984–85 (75th ed.). London: Jane's Publishing Co. p. 65. ISBN   0-7106-0801-2.
  7. "Mirage 4000" (in French). Dassault Aviation. Archived from the original on 2009-02-03. Retrieved 2009-01-24.

Bibliography