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| Mirage 5 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Role | Attack aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Dassault Aviation |
| Primary user | French Air Force |
| Developed from | Dassault Mirage III |
| Variants | IAI Nesher |
The Dassault Mirage 5 is a supersonic attack aircraft designed in France by Dassault Aviation during the 1960s, and manufactured both in France and a number of other countries. It was derived from Dassault's extremely successful Mirage III fighter, and spawned several variants of its own.
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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 avionics, 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. In September 1966, the Israelis placed an order for 50 units of the new aircraft.
Mirage 5
The first Mirage 5 flew on 19 May 1967. It looked much like the Mirage III, except it had a long slender nose that extended the aircraft's length by about half a metre, and made it arguably the most elegant of the Mirage delta series. 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 Charles de Gaulle to 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.
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.
The Israelis finally gave up trying to get the aircraft and accepted a refund. Later however, cooperation with France resumed outside the public's eye and Israel received 50 Mirage 5s in crates from AdA, while Ada took over the 50 aircraft originally intended for Israel, as Mirage 5Fs. The aircraft were delivered between May 1971 and February 1974 and put together by Israeli technicians. Officially, Israel claimed to have built the aircraft after obtaining complete blueprints, naming them Nesher.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 subversions Dassault finish with a reinvented Mirage IIIE.
Reconnaissance and two-seat versions of the Mirage 5 were sold, with the designation Mirage 5R, and Mirage 5D respectively. However, a little consideration of the differences between a Mirage III and a Mirage 5 quickly shows that these designations were simply for marketing purposes. There was no clear dividing line between the configuration of a Mirage III reconnaissance or trainer version and that of a Mirage 5 equivalent, and in fact they were one and the same in many cases.
The Mirage 5 was sold to Abu Dhabi, Belgium, Colombia, Egypt, Gabon, Libya, Pakistan, Peru, Venezuela, and Zaire, with the usual list of subvariant designations and variations in kit. The Belgian aircraft were fitted with mostly US avionics, and Egyptian aircraft fitted with the MS2 attack avionics system from the Dassault-Dornier Alpha Jet.
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 last upgrade as Fingers. The Argentines lost two IIIEA and 11 Daggers during the Falklands War in 1982, and as a measure of solidarity the Peruvians transferred ten of their Mirage 5s to Argentina, under the name Mirage Mara to help make good their losses.
Chile incorporated some Mirage 5s under name Mirage Elkan.
A total of 582 Mirage 5s were built, including 51 Israeli Neshers.
Mirage 50
The Atar 09K-50 engine, however, was still a good idea, and fit of this engine led to the next Mirage variant, the Mirage 50, during the 1970s. The uprated engine gave the Mirage 50 better take-off and climb characteristics than its predecessors. While the Mirage 50 also incorporated new avionics, such as a Cyrano IV radar system, it did not prove popular in export sales, as the first-generation Mirage series was becoming obsolescent.
Chile ordered a quantity of Mirage 50s, receiving both new production as well as updated Armee de l'Air Mirage 5s. The Chilean aircraft were later modernized along the lines of the IAI Kfir as 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 1990, Dassault upgraded a batch of Venezuelan Mirage IIIEs and 5s to the Mirage 50 spec, with the upgrades designated Mirage 50M.
Mirage 5 ROSE Program
The ROSE program was launched by the French SAGEM to upgrade the Pakistan Air Force's Mirage III & 5 series. The upgrades took place in three stages - ROSE-I, ROSE-II, and ROSE-III. Approximately 42 Mirage IIIs underwent the ROSE I upgrade which included the addition of the Grifo M radar - which gave the PAF's ROSE I aircraft BVR capability. Under the ROSE-II program at least 40 PAF's Mirage 5 aircraft were upgraded with digital cockpits and Forward looking infrared pods; this made the ROSE II an air-to-surface strike-oriented aircraft capable of using H-series precision-guided bombs. The Mirage ROSE III is a follow-up version of the ROSE II; the PAF have 14 ROSE III aircraft in service.
Variants
- Mirage 5 : Single-seat radarless ground-attack fighter aircraft.
- Mirage 5AD : Export version of Mirage 5 for Abu Dhabi, UAE.
- Mirage 5EAD : Single-seat radar-equipped fighter-bomber version for Abu Dhabi, UAE.
- Mirage 5BA : Export version of the Mirage 5 for Belgium.
- Mirage 5COA : Export version of the Mirage 5 for Colombia.
- Mirage 5D : Export version of the Mirage 5 for Libya.
- Mirage 5DE : Single-seat radar-equipped fighter-bomber version for Libya.
- Mirage 5F : Single-seat ground-attack fighter aircraft for the French Air Force.
- Mirage 5G : Export version of the Mirage 5 for Gabon.
- Mirage 5G-II : Two upgraded aircraft for Gabon.
- Mirage 5J : 50 airaft were ordered by Israel, but the order was later embargoed by the French government. The were delivered instead to the French Air Force as the Mirage 5F.
- Mirage 5M : Export version of the Mirage 5 for Zaire.
- Mirage 5MA Elkan : Upgraded Mirage 5BA aircraft sold to Chile.
- Mirage 5P : Export version of the Mirage 5 for Peru.
- Mirage 5P Mara : Upgraded Mirage 5P aircraft for Argentina.
- Mirage 5P-3 : Upgraded aircraft for Peru.
- Mirage 5P-4 : Upgraded aircraft for Peru.
- Mirage 5PA : Export version of the Mirage 5 for Pakistan.
- Mirage 5PA-II : Upgraded aircraft for Pakistan, fitted with a Cyrano radar.
- Mirage 5PA-III : Upgraded aircraft for Pakistan, fitted with a Agave radar.
- Mirage 5SDE : Single-seat radar-equipped fighter-bomber version for Egypt.
- Mirage 5E-II : Upgraded attack version for Egypt.
- Mirage 5V : Export version of the Mirage 5 for Venezuela.
- Mirage 5R : Single-seat reconnaissance aircraft.
- Mirage 5D : Two-seat training version.
- Mirage 5BD : Export version of the Mirage 5D for Belgium.
- Mirage 5COD : Export version of the Mirage 5D for Colombia.
- Mirage 5DAD : Export version of the Mirage 5D for Abu Dhabi, UAE.
- Mirage 5DD : Export version of the Mirage 5D for Libya.
- Mirage 5DG : Export version of the Mirage 5D for Gabon.
- Mirage 5DM : Export version of the Mirage 5D for Zaire.
- Mirage 5DP : Export version of the Mirage 5D for Peru.
- Mirage 5DP-IV : Upgraded aircraft for Peru.
- Mirage 5DPA : Export version of the Mirage 5D for Pakistan.
- Mirage 5DPA-II : Upgraded aircraft for Pakistan.
- Mirage 5MD Elkan : Upgraded Mirage 5BD aircraft sold to Chile.
- Mirage 5SDD : Export version of the Mirage 5D for Egypt.
- Mirage 5DV : Export version of the Mirage 5D for Venezuela.
- Mirage 50 : Single-seat multi-role fighter-bomber, ground-attack aircraft.
- Mirage 50C ; Export version of the Mirage 50 for Chile.
- Mirage 50FC : Eight re-engined Mirage 5F aircraft sold to Chile.
- Mirage 50DC : Two-seat training version for Chile.
- Mirage 50CN Pantera : Upgraded Mirage 50C and 50FC aircraft for Chile.
- Mirage 50EV : Upgraded Mirage 5V aircraft for Venezuela.
- Mirage 50DV : Upgraded Mirage 5DV aircraft for Venezuela.
Operators
United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi)
Argentina (from Peru)
Belgium (sold to Chile)
Chile (retired in 2006-2007)
Colombia
Egypt
Gabon
Israel (IAI Nesher)
Libya (retired)
Pakistan
Peru (retired)
Venezuela
Zaire
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Specifications (Mirage 5)
This aircraft article is missing some (or all) of its specifications. If you have a source, you can help Wikipedia by adding them.General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 15 m (49 ft 3.5 in)
- Wingspan: 8.22 m (26 ft 11 in)
- Height: 4.5 m (14 ft 9 in)
- Wing area: 34.85 m² (375 ft²)
- Empty weight: 7,050 kg (15,600 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 13,500 kg (29,700 lb)
- Powerplant: 1× SNECMA Atar 09C turbojet
Performance
- Maximum speed: Mach 2.2 (2,350 km/h, 1,460 mph)
- Range: 2,400 km (1,300 nm, 1,500 mi)
- Service ceiling 17,000 m (56,000 ft)
- Rate of climb: 83.3 m/s (16,400 ft/min)
- Wing loading: 387 kg/m² (79 lb/ft²)
- Thrust/weight: 0.46
Armament
- Guns: 2× 30 mm (1.18 in) DEFA 552 cannons with 125 rounds per gun
- Rockets: 2× Matra JL-100 drop tank/rocket pack, each with 19× SNEB 68 mm rockets and 66 US gallons (250 liters) of fuel
- Missiles: 2× AIM-9 Sidewinders OR Matra R550 Magics plus 1× Matra R530
- Bombs: 8,800 lb (4,000 kg) of payload on five external hardpoints, including a variety of bombs, reconnaissance pods or Drop tanks
See also
Related development
Comparable aircraft
Related lists
References
- Atlejees, Leephy. (1972). Armscor. SABC.
- Donald, David; Lake, Jon (editors) (2000). The Encyclopedia of World Military Aircraft. Barnes & Noble.
- Jackson, Paul. "Mirage III/5/50 Variant Briefing". World Air Power Journal 14, 15, 16.
- Lake, Jon (Winter 1966). "Atlas Cheetah". World Air Power Journal 27: 42–53.
- Rogers, Mike (1989). VTOL Military Research Aircraft.
- "Cheetah: Fighter Technologies". Archimedes 12. June 1987.
- War of Attrition, 1969-1970, ACIG, retrieved October 13, 2006
- Dassault Mirage 5/Nesher in Service with the IDF/AF, ACIG, retrieved October 13, 2006
- "The Designer of the B-1 Bomber's Airframe", Wing Magazine, Vol. 30/No 4, August 2000, p.48
- Breffort, Dominique; Jouineau, Andre (2004). The Mirage III, 5, 50 and derivatives from 1955 to 2000, Planes and Pilots 6. Histoire et Collections, Paris. ISBN 2-913903-92-4.
- Pérez San Emeterio, Carlos (1978). Mirage. Espejismo de la técnica y de la política, Armas 30 (in spanish). Editorial San Martin, Madrid. ISBN 8471401584.
The initial version of this article was based on a public domain article from Greg Goebel's Vectorsite. And on Green, William; Swanborough, Gordon (1994). The Complete Book Of Fighters. Smithmark Books.
External links
- The Dassault Mirage III/5/50 Series from Greg Goebel's AIR VECTORS
- Mirage III/5/50 at FAS.org
- Mirage 5F Photo Gallery
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Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 4 November 2008, at 15:17.
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