The Mirage 2000 is now too close to retirement. Still, it is waiting for ready to fight in the
hottest spots in the world. During the 1980s and 1990s, this remarkable combat jet had been true
defiance against the dominance of the F-16 in the West. Today, we are investigating the Mirage 2000,
the last king of the French Mirage dynasty. Please don't forget to subscribe to our
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all of your likes, comments, and shares. The Mirage 2000 is one of the best of the
fourth-generation fighters. This aircraft has successfully fought in many parts of the world.
The events that paved the way for the development of the Mirage 2000 go back to the mid-1960s.
The Brits and French decided to develop a swing-wing aircraft jointly in 1965. As usual,
France left the programme two years later and chose to proceed alone.
Dassault began to work on its own variable-geometry aircraft, the Mirage G.
Yet, it was a complex and expensive jet. So, in 1972, the company also rolled out
a secondary programme for a simple and low-cost aircraft
called Mirage 1000. It was a wise decision. The French Air Force was not keen to acquire
the high-cost Mirage G. Also, the possible foreign customers were not interested in buying it either.
So, France, which needed a more affordable fighter for both domestic and foreign markets,
terminated the Mirage G Programme in 1975 and decided to give a chance to the redesigned
variant of the Mirage 1000, the Mirage 2000. The same year, Paris ordered three prototypes.
The first of them, a single-seat variant, made its maiden flight on March 10, 1978.
The two-seat prototype met the skies on October 11, 1980.
Dassault produced an additional fourth single-seat demonstrator that embodied lessons from the
earlier aircraft. The fourth prototype had a shorter fin with an increased sweep, redesigned
air inlets, and a fly-by-wire flight system. After the successful trials, Dassault
delivered the first Mirage 2000C to the French Air Force in 1983.
The Mirage 2000 highly resembles its ancestor, the Mirage III, but there are many changes in
details between the two aircraft. The wing leading edge sweep is
reduced from 60 degrees to 58 degrees. The pilot controls the aerodynamically unstable
Mirage 2000 via a fly-by-wire flight system. The elevons have carbon fibre skins.
Also, carbon fibre and light alloy honeycomb panel covers the avionic bay.
Most parts of the fin and all parts of rudders are skinned with boron, epoxy and carbon.
This early example of composite materials used on a fighter jet has reduced the weight.
The small strakes on intake ducts create vortices at the high angle of attack that
helps to correct yaw excursion, which makes the Mirage 2000 a highly agile fighter.
Thanks to its fly-by-wire flight control system and aerodynamically unstable design,
the Mirage 2000 can raise its nose even if the elevon is lowered.
So, its speed and distance of taking-off and landing are much shorter than the
previous delta-wing Mirage III and Mirage 50. The initial production variant of the aircraft
is the Mirage 2000C. The first 37 aircraft had the RDM with the engagement capability to both ground
and air targets. Its ground attack capability was still low compared to modern multi-role fighters.
They also had the Snecma M53-5 turbofan engine. The later Mirage 2000Cs were fitted with
the RDI radar and an upgraded Snecma M53-P2 turbofan engine.
The two-seat operational conversion trainer variant of the aircraft is Mirage 2000B.
A single Mirage 2000B was modified as an electro-optic testbed and named Mirage 2000BOB.
The prototype of the Mirage 2000-5 made its maiden flight on November 24, 1990.
This variant, referred to as the second generation, has a Thales-made
laser / electro-optical targeting system, doppler radar that can engage multiple targets, digital
displays suitable for night operations, and a hands-on throttle-and-stick flight control stick.
The Taiwanese Air Force became the first customer for the Mirage 2000-5 in November 1992.
These aircraft with no ground attack capability have the single-seat Mirage
2000EI and the two-seat Mirage 2000DI variants. France upgraded 37 Mirage 2000Cs to 2000-5
standards and renamed them Mirage 2000-5F. The Mirage 2000-5Mk2, equipped with the
Damocles targeting system and the RDY-2 synthetic aperture radar, has significantly increased its
attack capability against ground targets. It is referred to as the third generation. The
Mirage 2000-5Mk2 can also fire the MICA EM fire-and-forget air-to-air missiles.
The Egyptian single-seat Mirage 2000EMs and the two-seat Mirage 2000BMs, the Peruvian single-seat
Mirage 2000Ps and the two-seat Mirage 2000DPs have the same capabilities as the C and B variants.
Similarly, the capacities of the original production variants for India, the
single-seat Mirage 2000H and the two-seat Mirage 2000TH, were the same as the C and B. Later,
these aircraft were upgraded to Mirage 2000-5Mk2 level and renamed Mirage 2000I and Mirage 2000TI.
The Indian jets also have helmet-mounted displays, the Litening laser designator pods,
and the firing capability of the Astra and R-73 air-to-air missile,
whose NATO reporting name is AA-11 Archer. Also, the single-seat Mirage 2000EGs and the
two-seat Mirage 2000BGs of the Hellenic Air Force had the same capabilities as the C and B variants.
Later, these aircraft were upgraded with updated sensors and avionics, and they gained the firing
capability for the AM39 Exocet anti-ship and more modern air-to-air missiles. After that,
they were renamed Mirage 2000EGM. But later, Greece modernized ten of them one more time
and upgraded the aircraft Mirage 2000-5Mk2 level. The Hellenic Air Force also acquired
15 new-built Mk 2s. The Greek Mirage 2000s can also fire the SCALP cruise missiles.
The single-seat Mirage 2000EDAs and the two-seat Mirage 2000DDAs
are the Qatari variants of the Mirage 2000-5. The Air Wing of the Abu Dhabi Defence Force,
which became the United Arab Emirates Air Force in 1999, ordered 36 Mirage 2000s in
1983. These aircraft are defined as Mirage 2000-8. Eight of them, called Mirage 2000RAD, are the only
reconnaissance variant of the Mirage 2000. The Mirage 2000AED was the single-seat,
and Mirage 2000DAD was the two-seat model. In 1998, the United Arab Emirates ordered
30 new Mirage 2000-9 variants and decided to upgrade 33 of the surviving previous aircraft.
The Mirage 2000-9s are equipped with the Shehab laser targeting pod, a variant of the Damocles,
and the Nahar navigation pod, complementing the air-to-ground modes of the RDY-2 radar.
They can fire the Black Shaheen cruise missile, a variant of the MBDA Apache.
On February 26, 2020, the United Arab Emirates ordered the Sniper
XP targeting pods for its aircraft. The Mirage 2000N was developed to
replace the Mirage IV nuclear bombers. It made its maiden flight on February 3,
1983. All Mirage 2000Ns were retired or converted to the D variant.
The Mirage 2000D, which made its maiden flight on February 19, 1991,
is a dedicated conventional attack variant. Thanks to its Anitolep 5 radar, which tracks
terrain automatically, the aircraft can fly at low altitudes without the pilot's intervention.
After the mid-life upgrade, the Mirage 2000Ds have gained updated avionics and the capability
of launching the MICA air-to-air missiles and modern guided air-to-ground munitions.
They have also been fitted with CC422 gun pods. Unlike the other Mirage 2000s,
the D variant has a top speed of Mach 1.6. The B, D, and N variants have no internal cannon.
Dassault also developed the Mirage 4000 as a private venture, which was simply a
twin-engined and enlarged version of the Mirage 2000. But, it was not chosen by any countries.
Egypt, France, Greece, India, Peru, Qatar, Taiwan, and the United Arab Emirates are the
current users of the Mirage 2000s. Brazil retired them in 2013.
The Mirage 2000-5 has a length of 14.33 metres, a wingspan of 9.13 metres, and a height of 5.14
metres. Its wing area is 41 square metres. The aircraft's empty weight is 7,500 kilograms, while
its maximum takeoff weight is 17,500 kilograms. One 95.1 kiloNewton Snecma M53-P2 after-burning
turbofan engine provides a top speed of Mach 2.2. It can climb to an altitude of over 18,290 metres,
in other words, 60,000 feet. The aircraft's range is 3,333 kilometres. The Mirage 2000-5's combat
radius is 1,480 kilometres. It has two 30mm DEFA 554 cannons and a capacity of 9.5 tons
of ordinance under nine pylons. The Mirage 2000-5 can carry the MICA and R550 Magic-II
air-to-air, AM39 Exocet anti-ship, SCALP cruise missiles, as well as different types of bombs.
The French Mirage 2000Cs served during the Gulf War.
In 1995 during the bombing mission, a French Mirage 2000D was shot down over Bosnia by a
9K38 Igla shoulder-launched missile fired by air defence units of the Army of Republika Srpska.
The French Mirage 2000s also fought in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Libya, Mali, and Syria.
The Indian Mirage 2000s fought in the Kargil War and the 2001–02 India–Pakistan standoff.
They performed well over the Himalayas and destroyed the Pakistani command
bunkers with laser-guided bombs on many occasions.
The Peruvian Mirage 2000s flew combat air patrol missions during the 1995 Cenepa War.
The Mirage 2000s of the United Arab Emirates fought in Libya, Syria, and Yemen.
One of them crashed in the southern Yemeni city of Aden. The Yemeni Al-Qaeda claims that
it was shot down by a Strela-2 MANPADS. But, the United Arab Emirates denies the claim.
The Qatari Mirage 2000s also fought in Libya and Syria.
However, the most sensational event was undoubtedly the downing of a Turkish
F-16 by the Greek Mirage 2000 in 1996. Greece claims its airspace is 10 miles
while its territorial waters are 6 miles. It is unusual because a country's airspace and
territorial waters are generally the same. So, Turkey deliberately violated the 4-mile
gap to show denying the Greek claims. But, Greece declared the 10-mile airspace
in the 1930s, and Turkey had no objection until the late 1970s.
Athens naturally does not accept that Ankara is changing its policy whenever it wants.
We will not be the judge for this problem that no one has been able to solve for decades.
We just mentioned the situation to explain what is behind the event better.
In 1996, a Greek Mirage 2000 shot down one of two Turkish F-16Ds,
which flew or violated the 4-mile gap. Usually, the Greek and Turkish jet fighters
had performed constant dogfights but never fired upon each other.
The two most valid theories about this event are that the Greek pilot accidentally fired
the missile in the excitement of the dogfight or lost control and deliberately shot the F-16 down.
The second Turkish crew of the F-16D, who survived the incident,
was later rescued by a Greek helicopter and treated in Greece.
So, the first theory looks more sensible, as the Turkish crew later told the press that
the Greek pilot visited himself in the hospital and apologized.
The Mirage 2000s are still waiting at the ready for possible clashes in the hottest regions,
like the Aegean Sea, the Taiwanese Strait, and the India-Pakistan border. They are still fearsome
opponents against their fourth-generation rivals. This French delta-wing beauty had
been the biggest Western competitor of the F-16 in the international markets for nearly 20 years.
Just like its ancestors, the Mirage III, Mirage 5, and Mirage F1, the Mirage 2000 is a true legend.
Thanks for watching our video. And please don't forget to subscribe to
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Also, you can now click the join button to support our channel. And as always,
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