Dassault Mirage III

Mirage IIIC

Tactical reconnaissance aircraft (Mirage IIIR)

1963 (Mirage IIIR)

The Mirage III was a second-generation jet fighter developed by Dassault Aviation and produced in multiple variants. It was the primary all-weather interceptor of the Imperial Air Force during the 1960s and early 1970s and saw extensive use in the Third Great War. It was eventually replaced in frontline service by the McDonnell Douglas Phantom, though some examples persisted in use as aggressor aircraft into the 1980s.

## Variants

**Mirage IIIA:** Pre-production aircraft, with a lengthened, area ruled fuselage and powered by a 42.8 kN dry and 58.84 kN with reheat Atar 9B turbojet engine, also with provision for 13.34 kN  SEPR 84 auxiliary rocket motor. Fitted with Dassault Super Aida or Thomson-CSF Cyrano Ibis radar.

**Mirage IIIB:** Two-seat tandem trainer aircraft fitted with one piece canopy. Lacks radar, cannon armament and provision for booster rocket.

**Mirage IIIC:** Single-seat all-weather interceptor-fighter aircraft, with longer fuselage than the IIIA (14.73 m) and equipped with a Cyrano I bis radar. The Mirage IIIC was armed with two 30 mm cannon, with a single Matra R.511, Nord AA.20 or Matra R530 air-to-air missile under the fuselage and two AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles under the wings. It was powered by an Atar 9B-3 turbojet engine, which could be supplemented by fitting an auxiliary rocket motor in the rear fuselage if the cannon were removed.

**Mirage IIID:** Two-seat trainer version of the Mirage IIIE, powered by 41.97 kN dry and 58.84 kN with reheat Atar 09-C engine. Fitted with distinctive strakes under the nose.

**Mirage IIIE:** Single-seat tactical strike and fighter-bomber aircraft, with 300 mm (12 in) fuselage plug to accommodate an additional avionics bay behind the cockpit. Fitted with Cyrano II radar with additional air-to-ground modes compared to Mirage IIIC, improved navigation equipment, including TACAN and a Doppler radar in undernose bulge. Powered by an Atar 09C-3 turbojet engine.

**Mirage IIIR:** Single-seat all-weather reconnaissance aircraft, with radar replaced by camera nose carrying up to five cameras. Aircraft based on IIIE airframe but with simpler avionics similar to that fitted to the IIIC and retaining cannon armament of fighters.

## Specifications (Mirage IIIE)

**General characteristics**

* **Crew:** 1
* **Length:** 15.03 m
* **Wingspan:** 8.22 m
* **Height:** 4.5 m
* **Wing area:** 34.85 m2
* **Empty weight:** 7,050 kg
* **Gross weight:** 9,600 kg
* **Max takeoff weight:** 13,700 kg
* **Powerplant:** 1 × SNECMA Atar 09C afterburning turbojet engine, 41.97 kN thrust dry, 60.8 kN with afterburner
* **Powerplant:** 1 × SEPR 841 liquid-fuelled rocket engine, 14.7 kN thrust

**Performance**

* **Maximum speed:** 2,350 km/h at 12,000 m
* **Maximum speed:** Mach 2.2
* **Combat range:** 1,200 km
* **Ferry range:** 3,335 km
* **Service ceiling:** 17,000 m
* **Rate of climb:** 83 m/s

**Armament**

* **Guns:** 2× 30 mm DEFA 552 cannon with 125 rounds per gun
* **Rockets:** 2× Matra JL-100 drop tank/rocket pack, each with 19× 68 mm SNEB rockets and 250 l of fuel
* **Missiles:** 2× AIM-9 Sidewinder Air to Air missiles (AAM) or 2x Matra R.550 Magic AAMs plus 1× Matra R.530 AAM
* **Bombs:** 4,000 kg of payload on five external hardpoints, including a variety of bombs, reconnaissance pods or drop tanks

**Avionics**

* Thomson-CSF Cyrano II radar; Marconi continuous-wave Doppler navigation radar