Dassault Mirage 2000

**Mirage 2000**

 **Primary Users** | French Air Force
United Arab Emirates Air Force
 **Produced** | 1978 - 2007

The **Dassault Mirage 2000** is a French multirole, single-engine fourth-generation jet fighter manufactured by Dassault Aviation. It was designed in the late 1970s as a lightweight fighter based on the Mirage III for the French Air Force (Armée de l'Air). The Mirage 2000 evolved into a multirole aircraft with several variants developed, with sales to a number of nations. The variants include the Mirage 2000N and 2000D strike variants, the improved Mirage 2000-5 and several export variants. Over 600 aircraft were built and it has been in service with nine nations.

## Development

### Design Phase

The prototype made its first flight in 10 March 1978. Despite all the new technologies applied, basing the new aircraft on the Mirage III allowed the development of a prototype in only 27 months from the program start to the first flight.

In that summer, at the Farnborough Airshow, this machine displayed not only excellent handling capabilities, but also a full control at 204 km/h and 26 degree angle of attack. This was totally unexpected in a delta-wing fighter, and proved how computer controlled dynamic (CCD) controls were capable of overcoming the delta wing shortcomings related to poor low-speed control, while retaining the advantages, such as low-drag, low radar cross section, ideal high speed aerodynamics, and large internal volume, as well as simplicity, provided by the absence of horizontal tail surfaces. The Mirage 2000 was one of the stars of that airshow and became the direct adversary for the F-16, which shared the CCD control and relaxed stability. The 02 Prototype followed in 18 September 1978 and 03 in 26 September 1979. After 400 hours of flight, they were sent to CEV (Centre d'Essais en Vol, Flight tests centre). The 04 Prototype was a demonstrator made by Dassault for its own purposes, and finally the first dual-seat Mirage 2000B flew in 11 October 1980.

The first production example flew on 20 November 1982, and the aircraft went into operational service in November 1982. They were practically pre-production aircraft, because they had no SARH missiles (RDM-1 radar) and the first model of SNECMA 'Super Atar' M-53-2 engine. The first aircraft entered service in July 1984.

## Design

The Mirage 2000 features a low-set thin delta wing with cambered section, 58 degrees leading-edge sweep and moderately blended root; area-ruled; two small canard wings, fixed, placed just behind the air intakes. The flight surfaces on the wings are composed of four elevons and four leading edge slats. Its neutral point is in front of its Center of gravity of an aircraft, giving the fighter relaxed stability to enhance maneuverability. It incorporated negative stability and fly-by-wire controls with four analog computers. An airbrake is fitted above and below each wing in an arrangement very similar to that of the Mirage III. A noticeably taller tailfin allows the pilot to retain control at higher angles of attack, assisted by the small strakes mounted along each air intake.

The aircraft uses retractable Tricycle type landing gear by Messier-Dowty, with twin nosewheels and a single wheel on each main gear. The landing features a hydraulic retraction mechanism and electrohydraulic steering of the nosewheel (+/-45 degrees); the nosewheel can caster through 360 degrees for ground towing while under manual control. A runway tailhook or a fairing for a brake parachute can be fitted under the tail, which can operate in conjunction with the landing gear's carbon brakes to shorten landing distances. A removable refueling probe can be attached in front of the cockpit, offset slightly to the right of center.

## Operators

**Operators of the Mirage 2000:**

* Brazil (retired in 2013)
* Egypt (retired by the NAC)
* France
* Greece
* India
* Peru
* Qatar (retired by the UIR)
* Template:Country data Taiwan Taiwan (inventory allegedly destroyed during the Taiwan Crisis)
* United Arab Emirates (retired by the UIR)