Dassault Mirage 5

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Mirage 5
Chilean Air Force Mirage 5MA
Role Attack aircraft
National origin France
Manufacturer Dassault Aviation
First flight 19 May 1967
Status Active
Primary users
French Air Force (historical)
Belgian Air Force (historical)
Egyptian Air Force
Pakistan Air Force
Number built 582
Developed from Dassault Mirage III
Variants IAI Nesher
Developed into IAI Kfir

The Dassault Mirage 5 is a French supersonic attack aircraft designed by Dassault Aviation during the 1960s and manufactured in France and a number of other countries. It was derived from Dassault's popular Mirage III fighter and spawned several variants of its own, including the IAI Kfir. In Pakistan's service, the Mirage 5s are modified and are capable of nuclear weapons delivery.[1]

Design and development

Early development

The Mirage 5 grew out of a request to Dassault from the Israeli Air Force. Since the weather over the Middle East is clear and sunny most of the time, the Israelis suggested removing the air intercept radar and its avionics,[2] normally located behind the cockpit, from the standard Mirage IIIE to reduce cost and maintenance, and replacing them with more fuel storage for attack missions.[3] In September 1966, the Israelis placed an order for 50 of the new aircraft. Due to customer pressure some variants of the Mirage V were radar-equipped.[4]

Mirage 5

French Air Force Mirage 5F

The first Mirage 5 flew on 19 May 1967.[5] It looked much like the Mirage III, except that it had a long slender nose that extended the aircraft's length by about half a metre. A pitot tube was distinctively moved from the tip of the nose to below the nose in the majority of Mirage 5 variants.

The Mirage 5 retained the IIIE's twin DEFA guns, but added two additional pylons, for a total of seven. Maximum warload was 4,000 kg (8,800 lb). Provision for the SEPR rocket engine was deleted.

Rising tensions in the Middle East led French President

embargo the Israeli Mirage 5s on 3 June 1967. The Mirages continued to roll off the production line, even though they were embargoed, and by 1968 the batch was complete and the Israelis had provided final payments.[6]

In late 1969, the Israelis, who had pilots in France testing the aircraft, requested that the aircraft be transferred to Corsica, in theory to allow them to continue flight training during the winter. The French government became suspicious when the Israelis also tried to obtain long-range fuel tanks and cancelled the move.[citation needed] The Israelis finally gave up trying to acquire the aircraft and accepted a refund.[7]

Israeli Nesher over the Golan Heights during the Yom Kippur War

Some sources claim that cooperation with France resumed outside the public's eye and Israel received 50 Mirage 5s in crates from the

French Air Force, while the French took over the 50 aircraft originally intended for Israel, as Mirage 5Fs.[8][9][10] Officially, Israel claimed to have built the aircraft after obtaining complete blueprints, naming them IAI Nesher.[11][12]

Like the Mirage IIIE, the Mirage 5 was popular with export customers, with different export variants fitted with a wide range of different avionics. While the Mirage 5 had been originally oriented to the clear-weather attack role, with some avionic fits it was refocused to the air-combat mission. As electronic systems became more compact and powerful, it was possible to provide the Mirage 5 with increased capability, even though the rear avionics bay had been deleted, therefore in some sub-versions, the result was a "reinvented" Mirage IIIE.

Reconnaissance and two-seat versions of the Mirage 5 were sold, with the designation Mirage 5R, and Mirage 5D respectively.

The Mirage 5 was sold to

Dassault-Dornier Alpha Jet
.

In 1982, Pakistan

ACM (Gen.) Anwar Shamim acquired an additional squadron of the Mirage 5 from France to provide effective support to the Navy.[13]

Argentine Air Force Mirage 5PA MARA, November 2005

In 1978 and 1980, Israel sold a total of 35 of their Neshers plus 4 Nesher trainer aircraft (Nesher Ts) to Argentina, where they were locally known first as Daggers and after their upgrade as Fingers.[14] The Argentines lost two Mirage IIIEAs and twelve Daggers during the Falklands War in 1982.[15] As a measure of solidarity, the Peruvians transferred ten of their Mirage 5Ps to Argentina, under the name Mirage Mara, to help alleviate its losses.[16]

South Africa purchased five Nesher trainers for trials during its own Atlas Cheetah fighter programme. All the aircraft were eventually upgraded to Cheetah D standard.[17]

Chile incorporated some Mirage 5s under name Mirage Elkan.[citation needed]

A total of 582 Mirage 5s were built, including 51 Israeli Neshers.

Belgian production

Mirage 5BR of the Belgian Air Component takes off in 1989

In 1968, the Belgian government ordered 106 Mirage 5s from Dassault to re-equip No 3 Wing at Bierset air base. All aircraft but the first one were to be license-built by SABCA in Belgium. Component production at the SABCA Haren plant near Brussels was followed by assembly at the SABCA plant at Gosselies airfield, near Charleroi. The ATAR engines were produced by FN Moteurs at this company's Liège plant.[18] SABCA production included three versions: Mirage 5BA for the ground-attack role, Mirage 5BR for the reconnaissance role and Mirage 5BD for training and conversion.

By the end of the 1980s, a MIRage Safety Improvement Program (MIRSIP) was agreed to by parliament, calling for 20 low-time Mirages (15 Mirage 5BAs and 5 Mirage 5BDs) to be upgraded. Initial plans included a new more powerful engine, but this idea was abandoned to limit cost. The upgrade eventually included a more modern cockpit, a new ejection seat, a laser rangefinder, and canards to improve takeoff performance and overall maneuverability. A new government canceled the MIRSIP but SABCA was allowed to carry out the update, in order to sell the aircraft on the export market.[19] After completion, the Belgian government sold all 20 aircraft to Chile, together with 4 non-upgraded Mirage 5BRs, and one non-upgraded Mirage 5BD.[20]

Mirage 50

The development and subsequent installation of the new Atar 09K-50 engine led to the next Mirage variant, the Mirage 50, during the 1970s. The uprated engine gave the Mirage 50 better takeoff and climb characteristics than its predecessors. The Mirage 50 also incorporated new avionics, such as a Cyrano IV radar system. However, despite these upgrades, it did not prove popular in export sales as the Mirage 5 itself was becoming obsolete.

Chile ordered a quantity of Mirage 50s, receiving both new production as well as updated Armée de l'Air Mirage 5s. The Chilean aircraft were later modernised along the lines of the IAI Kfir and were called the ENAER Pantera. The Pantera incorporates fixed canards and other aerodynamic improvements, as well as advanced avionics. These aircraft have an extended nose to accommodate some of the new systems.

In the early 1990s, Dassault upgraded a batch of Venezuelan Mirage IIIEVs and 5s to Mirage 50 standards.

Mirage 5 ROSE

Main article: Project ROSE

In the 1990s, the PAF launched a Mid-life update (MLU) program, codenamed as Project ROSE (Retrofit Of Strike Element), to its aging Mirage III and Mirage 5 aircraft with modern avionics provided by French, Italian, and Pakistani software conglomerates. The PAF acquired blueprint drawings of the aircraft from France, redeveloping and redesigning it at the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex.

In the first phase of the project, the PAF acquired 33 former

forward-looking infrared (FLIR)
sensor under the aircraft's nose/cockpit, being designated ROSE II. The cockpits included new MFDs, HUDs, HOTAS controls, radar altimeters and RWRs.

Additionally, 14 Mirage 5F fighters from the second batch were similarly upgraded but with newer systems and designated ROSE III. The FLIR sensors allow the Mirage 5 ROSE fighters to specialise in the night-time attack role.

Operational history

Pakistan

In February 2019, IAF jets violated Pakistani airspace and bombed a wooded area in Balakot. Resultantly, Pakistan launched retaliatory airstrikes (Codenamed "

Dassault Mirage-IIIDAs via data link. The operation was a success and the aircraft returned safely.[21][22][23]

Variants

  • Mirage 5 : Single-seat radarless ground-attack fighter aircraft.
  • Mirage 5R : Single-seat reconnaissance aircraft.
  • Mirage 5Dx : Two-seat training version.
    • Mirage 5BD : Two-seat trainer version of 5BA for Belgium; 16 built, 15 built locally.[45]
    • Mirage 5COD : Two-seat trainer for Colombia. Two built.[45] Upgraded with canards and new avionics.[26]
    • Mirage 5DAD : Two-seat trainer for Abu Dhabi, UAE. Three built.[45]
    • Mirage 5DD : Two-seat trainer for Libya; 15 built.[45]
    • Mirage 5DG : Two-seat trainer for Gabon; two delivered in 1978.[30]
    • Mirage 5DG2 : Two-seat trainer for Gabon; two built, delivered in 1984 and 1985 respectively.[30]
    • Mirage 5DM : Two-seat trainer for Zaire; three built, all of which were delivered.[46]
    • Mirage 5DP : Two-seat trainer for Peru; four delivered.[32]
    • Mirage 5DP3 : Upgraded trainer for Peru, with the same improvements as on the Mirage 5P3; one built.[47]
    • Mirage 5DP4 : Upgraded trainer for Peru, with the same improvements as on the Mirage 5P4, except the in-flight refueling probe; one new-build plus upgraded older aircraft.[47]
    • Mirage 5DPA2 : Two-seat trainer version for Pakistan; two built.[37]
    • Mirage 5DV : Two-seat trainer for Venezuela; three built. One survivor rebuilt to Mirage 50DV standard.[40]
    • Mirage 5MD Elkan : Upgraded Mirage 5BD aircraft sold to Chile.
    • Mirage 5SDD : Two-seat trainer for Egypt; six built.[38]
  • Mirage 50 : multi-role fighter-bomber, ground-attack aircraft, powered by more powerful 49.2 kN (11,055 lbf) dry, 70.6 kN (15,870 lbf) with reheat Atar 9K-50 engine. Available with or without radar.
    • Mirage 50C : New-build radar-equipped Mirage 50 for Chile; six built.[48]
    • Mirage 50FC : Eight re-engined Mirage 5F aircraft sold to Chile.[48]
    • Mirage 50DC : Two-seat training version for Chile. Three built, two with lower powered Atar 9C-3 engine.[48]
    • Mirage 50CN Pantera : Mirage 50C and 50FC aircraft upgraded by ENAER with help from the Israeli company IAI for Chile with canards, revised, Kfir style nose and new avionics; 13 50C and FC upgraded plus two 50DC trainers.[49]
    • Mirage 50EV : Single-seat fighter-bomber version for Venezuela. Fitted with canards, and an in-flight refueling probe. New Cyrano IVM3 radar, SAGEM inertial navigation system, and head-up display. Equipped with a Sherloc radar warning receiver, and an ALE-40 chaff/flare dispenser. Capable of using the Exocet anti-ship missile. Six new-build, as well as seven upgraded aircraft (two Mirage IIIEV, two Mirage 5V, and three ex-Zairian Mirage 5M).[50]
    • Mirage 50DV : Two-seat training version for Venezuela. Similar standard to 50EV, save for the radar, and the refueling probe that can only be used for training (no fuel transfer possible). One new build plus two upgrades (one Mirage 5V and one Mirage 5DV).[50] This variant is also in service with the Ecuadorian Air Force.[51]

Operators

Current (blue) and former (red) operators of the Mirage 5. Former operators of the closely related IAI Nesher are denoted in orange.
Main article: List of Dassault Mirage III operators

Current

Former

Specifications (Mirage 5F)

Data from Encyclopedia of World Military Aircraft [63]

General characteristics

Performance

Armament

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

Notes

  1. ^ Pakistan's Nuclear Weapons Programme: An Assessment Archived 16 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ^ Duchateau/Salvador 1990, p. 26.
  3. ^ Jackson 1985, pp. 32–34.
  4. ^ Jackson 1985, p. 35.
  5. ^ Jackson 1985, p. 34.
  6. ^ Chenel, Liébert & Moreau 2014, p. 37
  7. ^ Chenel, Liébert & Moreau 2014, p. 40
  8. ^ "Wing Magazine, Vol. 30/No 4, August 2000, p.48, Swiss Federal Court". Archived from the original on 7 July 2010. Retrieved 5 January 2007.
  9. ^ "Welcome to the Air Combat Information Group". 1map.com. Archived from the original on 26 July 2014.
  10. ISBN 978-0-8050-0680-3
  11. ^ Cooper. Tom. "War of Attrition, 1969–1970". Archived 7 July 2010 at the Wayback MachineWing Magazine via acig.org, 24 September 2003. Retrieved: 6 December 2010.
  12. ^ Baker, Nigel and Tom Cooper. "Dassault Mirage III & Mirage 5/Nesher in Israeli Service." Archived 26 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine Wing Magazine via acig.org, 26 September 2003. Retrieved: 6 December 2010.
  13. ^ Daily Report: South Asia. Foreign Broadcast Information Service. 1982. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  14. ^ Chenel, Liébert & Moreau 2014, pp. 243–244
  15. ^ Chenel, Liébert & Moreau 2014, p. 248
  16. ^ a b Chenel, Liébert & Moreau 2014, p. 250
  17. ^ a b c d "Dassault Mirage III & Mirage 5/Nesher in Israeli Service". ACIG. 2003. Archived from the original on 26 July 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  18. ^ Chenel, Liébert & Moreau 2014, p. 178
  19. ^ Chenel, Liébert & Moreau 2014, p. 193
  20. ^ Chenel, Liébert & Moreau 2014, p. 350
  21. ^ "Operation Swift Retort One Year On". KeyMilitary.com. Alan Warnes. 19 March 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  22. ^ Etfa Khurshid Mirza (6 November 2019). A Fine Retort (Report). Centre for Aerospace & Security Studies. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  23. ^ "IAF's Balakot Disaster Two Years On". PAF Falcons.com. Air commodore (Retd) Kaiser Tufail. 26 February 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  24. ^ a b c d e f g Jackson World Air Power Journal Volume 15, p. 101.
  25. ^ a b Jackson 1985, p.43.
  26. ^ a b Jackson World Air Power Journal Volume 15, pp. 107–108.
  27. ^ Chenel, Liébert & Moreau 2014, p. 198
  28. ^ a b Jackson World Air Power Journal Volume 15, p. 100.
  29. ^ Jackson 1985, p. 30.
  30. ^ a b c Chenel, Liébert & Moreau 2014, p. 330
  31. ^ Delalande, Arnaud (21 November 2017). "Jean Louis M'pele M'pele Flew Congo's Hot-Rod French Fighter". War Is Boring. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  32. ^ a b Jackson World Air Power Journal Volume 16, p. 112.
  33. ^ Chenel, Liébert & Moreau 2014, p. 167
  34. ^ Chenel, Liébert & Moreau 2014, pp. 167–168
  35. ^ Chenel, Liébert & Moreau 2014, p. 148
  36. ^ Chenel, Liébert & Moreau 2014, p. 150
  37. ^ a b Jackson World Air Power Journal Volume 16, p. 111.
  38. ^ a b c Jackson World Air Power Journal Volume 16, p. 98.
  39. ^ Chenel, Liébert & Moreau 2014, p. 315
  40. ^ a b c Chenel, Liébert & Moreau 2014, p. 278
  41. ^ a b Jackson World Air Power Journal Volume 14, p.133.
  42. ^ Jackson 1985, p. 51.
  43. ^ Jackson 1985, p.53.
  44. ^ Jackson World Air Power Journal Volume 16, p. 110.
  45. ^ a b c d Jackson World Air Power Journal Volume 14, p. 126.
  46. ^ Jackson World Air Power Journal Volume 16, p. 119.
  47. ^ a b Chenel, Liébert & Moreau 2014, pp. 166, 168
  48. ^ a b c Jackson World Air Power Journal Volume 15, p. 104.
  49. ^ Jackson World Air Power Journal Volume 15, p. 116.
  50. ^ a b Chenel, Liébert & Moreau 2014, pp. 278–281
  51. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Trade Registers". Armstrade.sipri.org. Archived from the original on 14 April 2010. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  52. ^ World Air Forces Directory 2022
  53. ^ Chenel, Liébert & Moreau 2014, p. 314
  54. ISBN 1-84176-787-5
  55. ^ "World Air Forces 2021". Flight Global. Archived from the original on 17 March 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  56. ISBN 1-40085-877-1
    . pp 347–350.
  57. ^ "Formal farewell for Argentine Malvinas Mirage aircraft, after 40 years service". MercoPress. 17 August 2015. Archived from the original on 19 September 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  58. ^ Air International, December 1994, p. 322.
  59. ^ Chenel, Liébert & Moreau 2014, pp. 340, 350
  60. ^ Dassault Aviation Mirage III
  61. ^ "Air Force: Receipt of a Jet Aircraft squadron "Hawker Hunter" Archived 31 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine". Lebanese Army. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  62. ^ Chenel, Liébert & Moreau 2014, p. 166
  63. ^ Donald and Lake 1996, p. 129.
  64. ^ Taylor 1976, pp. 48–49.

Bibliography

The initial version of this article was based on a public domain article from Greg Goebel's Vectorsite.

Further reading

External links

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