Dassault Mirage F1

.

History

Qatari Air Force Mirage F.1EDA.

The Mirage F1 was designed as the successor of Dassault's Mirage III and Mirage 5. Unlike its predecessors, it has a swept wing mounted high on the fuselage as well as a conventional tail surface.

The first prototype (the development of which was financed by Dassault itself) first flew on 23 December 1966.

The type was officially accepted by the French Air Force in May 1967 when three further prototypes were ordered. With the bigger capacity of the SNECMA Atar 9K-50 turbojet with afterburner the F1 easily outclassed the Mirage III.

Having a smaller wingspan than the Mirage III, the F.1 nevertheless proved to be clearly superior to its predecessor. It can carry up to 40% more fuel, has a shorter take-off run, a superior range in lo-lo missions, and better maneuverability.

In order to comply to the French Air Force's requirement for an all-weather interceptor, the first production Mirage F1C was equipped with a Thomson-CSF Cyrano IV mono-pulse radar. The later Cyrano IV-1 version added a limited look-down capability.

French Air Force Mirage F.1

The Mirage F1 entered service in May 1973 when the first production version was delivered. Initially, the aircraft was only armed with two 30 mm internal cannon, but in 1976 the R530 medium-range air-to-air missile was released for use. A year later the R550 Magic followed.During the same time, the American AIM-9 Sidewinder became part of the Mirage's F1 armament, after the Hellenic Air Force request for its own Mirage F1CGs.

The 79 aircraft of the next production run were delivered during the period March 1977 to December 1983. These were of the Mirage F1C-200 version with a fixed refuelling probe, which required an extension of the fuselage by 7 cm.

It served as the main interceptor of the French Air Force until the Mirage 2000 entered service.

Other versions

Mirage F1B

There is also an operational conversion of the Mirage F1B two-seater aircraft, of which the French Air Force ordered 20 and which was delivered between October 1980 and March 1983. The extra seat and controls added only 30 cm to the length of the fuselage, but at the cost of less internal fuel capacity and the loss of the internal cannon.

The empty weight increased by 200 kg, partly due to the addition of two Martin-Baker Mk 10 zero-zero ejection seats, instead of Mk 4 used in the F1C, which had a forward speed limitation.

In all other aspects the F1B is a combat-capable aircraft and it can compensate the lack of internal space by carrying external cannon and fuel tanks.

Mirage F1CR

When it became clear that the Mirage F1 was becoming a successful production aircraft, Dassault began investigating the possibility of a dedicated reconnaissance version for its most important client, the French Air Force. However, the escalating cost of fighter aircraft meant that add-on pods for this purpose were a more economical alternative.

Many French Air Force aircraft, but also those of some export clients (such as the Mirage F1EQ of Iraq), did indeed have a variety of reconnaissance pods available, which were attached to the inderside of the main fuselage.

However, the development of a tactical reconnaissance aircraft for the French Air Force continued and the first Mirage F1CR-200 flew on 20 November 1981.

The Mirage F1CR carries a variety of reconnaissance equipment, both internally and externally:
* A SAT SCM2400 Super Cyclone infrared linescan unit is installed in the space previously occupied by the cannon.
* A space under the nose can be used for a Thomson-TRT 40 panoramic camera or a Thomson-TRT 33 vertical camera.
* The Cyrano IVM-R radar has extra ground and contour mapping modules.
* Additional optical an electronic sensors can be carried on the hardpoints under the fuselage and wings.

A total of 64 examples of the Mirage F1CR were ordered by the French Air Force, the first of which flew on 10 November 1982. The first unit using the aircraft bacame operational in July 1983.

Mirage F1CT

The Mirage F1CT is the tactical ground attack version of the Mirage F1C-200. The first two prototypes were conversions. The first flew on 3 May 1991. Another 55 examples followed up to 1995 - these were conversions carried out by the workshops of the French Air Force.

The Mirage F1CT programme brought the avionics of the F1C up to the standard of the F1CR:
* The Cyrano IV radar was replaced by the Cyrano IVM-R.
* The navigation/attack system was upgraded and included a laser distance meter.
* Mk 10 ejection seats were added.
* Improved radar detection and warning devices, chaff/flare dispensers and secure radios were also added.
* Facilities for a variety of new weapons were added.

Mirage F1AZ and Mirage F1CZ

The South African Air Force (SAAF) flew both the Mirage F1AZ ground attack version as well as the radar-equipped Mirage F1CZ fighter.

The first two examples of the first order (48, including 32 F1AZs) were delivered on 5 April 1975. Both F1CZs were transported under a blanket of secrecy by a C-130 Hercules of the SAAF. In July of the same year the remainder of the F1CZs were delivered. In 1975 the F1CZs also appeared at a South African airshow, but the public wasn't informed that the aircraft were already operational in the SAAF.

The F1AZ was developed in conjunction with Dassault and the SAAF as a dedicated ground attack variant, and has so far only entered South African service. The AZ variant had a laser-based range-finder, permitting extremely accurate fuzing and aiming of unguided munitions, which consist of bombs and unguided rockets. Optical design was by ARMSCOR in South Africa, by the Optics (later ELOPTRO) division of that company. Despite their retirement in 1997 the accuracy of the F1AZ's armament's delivery is still considered classified information by the SAAF, but observer analysis by informed services (e.g. (Jane's Defence Weekly), and pilot reports (Commandant Dick Lord, 'Vlamgat', 1999) conclude that the AZ variant has accuracies within the order disclosed by the USAF for their F-15E Strike Eagle in unguided ballistic mode. (source: Jane's 'F15', Electronic Arts, 1996; Janes All the Worlds Aircraft, 2000)

The F1AZs were delivered between November 1975 and October 1976. They were assigned to 1 Squadron, stationed at AFB Waterkloof. This acquisition was also kept secret from the rest of the world—1 Squadron was not allowed to display its new aircraft until February 1980.

Both variants saw action during operations in Angola, during which two Angolan Mig-21s were shot down by F1CZs. At least one F1CZ was shot down by an Angolan surface-to-air missile; it was repaired using parts from a crashed aircraft.

The SAAF retired the F1CZs in 1992, followed by the F1AZs in 1997.

As an experiment a Mirage F1 was equipped with a Klimov RD-33 engine (the same engine as used in the Mig-29) by Aerosud. This development was dubbed the "SuperMirage" F1, and held the distinction of being the first Western aircraft to perform a display at the MAKS airshow in Moscow.

As of 2004 21 F1AZs remain in storage at AFB Hoedspruit, awaiting a possible buyer.

Mirage F1EQ

On 17 May 1987, an Iraqi Air Force pilot flying an F1EQ fired two Exocets into the U.S. guided missile frigate USS Stark (FFG-31) in the Persian Gulf.[1]

Combat Service

Due to the success of the Mirage F1 in the export market, the airplane has seen combat with a number of Air Forces in various places around the world.

Ecuador

Ecuadorian Air Force Mirage F.1JA.

The Ecuadorian Air Force (FAE) squadron of Mirage F1JAs (Escuadrón de Caza 2112) went first into combat service in January-February 1981 during the brief Paquisha War between Ecuador and Peru, less than two years after the aircraft had been delivered to the FAE. At that time, the Ecuadorians decided against challenging directly the Peruvian Air Force (FAP), whose Mirage 5Ps and Sukhoi SU-22Ms were giving air cover to the Peruvian heliborne operations on the combat zone. Instead, the Mirages were kept at a distance, performing CAPs on the fringes of the combat area, in case the border clashes gave way to open hostilities.

In 1995, during the Cenepa War, the Ecuadorian Mirages went back into action against Peru. This time, while the bulk of the squadron was kept back at Taura AFB, a small detachment of Mirage F1s and Kfir C.2s was deployed to a forward air base, to dissuade Peruvian attack aircraft from entering the combat zone. On February 10, 1995, two Mirage F1JAs, piloted by Maj. R. Banderas and Cptn. C. Uzcátegui, and armed with Matra R550 Magic AAMs, were directed over five targets crossing the border from Peru toward the Cenepa valley. After making visual contact, the Mirages fired their missiles, shooting down two Peruvian SU-22Ms while a Kfir destroyed a further A-37B Dragonfly.

Users

F1s have served in the air forces of 11 countries:
* French Air Force (250)
* Ecuadorian Air Force (16 F1JAs & 3 F1JEs)
* Greek Air Force (40 F1CGs)
* Iraqi Air Force (93 F1EQs & 15 F1BQs) (+16 not delivered)
* Royal Jordanian Air Force (17 F1CJs, 17 F1EJs & 2 F1BJs)
* Kuwait Air Force (27 F1CKs & 6 F1BKs)
* Libyan Air Force (16 F1ADs, 16 F1EDs & 6 F1DDs)
* Royal Moroccan Air Force (30 F1CHs & 20 F1EHs)
* Qatar Air Force(13 F1EDAs & 2 F1DDAs)
* South African Air Force (32 F1AZs & 16 F1CZs)
* Spanish Air Force (42 F1CEs, 24 F1EEs & 6 F1BEs)

Specifications (Mirage F1)

Orthographically projected diagram of the Dassault Mirage F1.

{{aircraft specification|