Dassault Mirage 2000

The Aviation Marcel Dassault Mirage 2000C is an single engine, delta wing all weather night and day interceptor.

Developing nation: France.
Manufacturer/designer: Marcel Dassault Aviation.
Production line: Bordeaux-Mariagne.
Number built: 601
Type aircraft: multirole, single-engine fourth-generation jet fighter.
First flight: March 10, 1978
First delivery: November 1982 to Armée de L’Air

Developed around 1973 as a successor of the Mirage III and Mirage V. The first of four single seat prototypes flew on March 10, 1978, and the fifth machine a private (Dassault) build two-seater took the air in October 1980 as the precursor of the Mirage 2000B two-seat operational trainer.

The Mirage 2000N was derived from and looks much like the Mirage 2000B, but the Nuclear Strike variant includes stronger wings for low altitude operations, as well as low-level precision navigation-attack system, build around the Thomson-CSF Antilope 5 radar, with automated terrain following capability, at very high speed and very low altitude. The Mirage 2000N carries a single ASMP (nuclear weapon with 150 or 300 kilotons warhead) on a centerline pylon.

The old prototype of the Mirage 2000B was extensively modified to fly as the first next-generation Mirage 2000-5 in October 1990. The first single Mirage 2000-5 flew in may 1991.

The Mirage 2000-5 is a new version of the multi-role aircraft with a new avionics system:

New pilot/system interface.
Five displays ‘glass cockpit.
Head-Up/Level/Down and two Lateral.
RDY Multi-waveform pulse 12 Doppler radar.
Multi-target capability.
Multi-function radar.
New internal countermeasures system.
Multi-target firing and a new air-to-air MICA missile.

General characteristics Mirage 2000C

• Crew: 1
• Length: 14.36 m (47 ft 1 in)
• Wingspan: 9.13 m (29 ft)
• Height: 5.20 m (17 ft)
• Wing area: 41 sq m (441.3 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 24,541kg (54,100lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 17,000 kg (37,500 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 x SNECMA M53-P2 afterburning turbofan
• Dry thrust: 64.3 kN (14,500 lbf)
• Thrust with afterburner: 95.1 kN (21,400 lbf)

Performance

• Maximum speed: Mach 2.2 (2,333+ km/h, 1,450+ mph) at altitude/ 1,110 km/hr (690 mph) at low altitude
• Range: 1,550 km (837 nmi, 963 mi) with drop tanks
• Ferry range: 3,335 km (1,800 nmi, 2,073 mi) with auxiliary fuel
• Service ceiling: 17,060 m (59,000 ft)
• Rate of climb: 285 m/s (56,000 ft/min)
• Wing loading: 337 kg/sq m (69 lb/sq m)
• Thrust/weight: 0.91

Armament

• Guns: 2 x 30 mm (1.18 in) DEFA 554 revolver cannon, 125 rounds per gun
• Hardpoints: 9 total (4 x under-wing, 5 x under-fuselage) with a capacity of 6,300 kg (13,900 lb) external fuel and ordnance
• Rockets: Matra 68 mm unguided rocket pods, 18 rockets per pod
• Missiles:
  • Air-to-air missiles:
    • 6 x MBDA MICA IR/RF
    • 2 x Matra R550 Magic-II and 2? Matra Super 530D
  • Air-to-surface missiles:
    • 2 x AM.39 Exocet
    • 2 x AS-30L laser guided missile
    • 1 x ASMP tactical nuclear cruise missile
• Bombs: 9 x Mk.82

Avionics

• Thomson-CSF RDY (Radar Doppler Multi-target) radar