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MIRAGE F1 (DASSAULT-BREGUET)

Following on the Mirage F-2, which was a revival of the classic arrow-wing design with stabilizers, the Mirage F-1 is a defense and air superiority single-seater plane. This revival was made possible by technological advances which permit manufacture of ultra-thin but robust wings, enabling at supersonic speeds flight performance equivalent to that of delta wings. The integrity of the fuselage structure allows the aircraft to carry a maximum amount of fuel. The Mirage F-1 prototype made its maiden flight with Ren� Bigand at the controls, 23rd December 1966, at Melun-Villaroche (the Seine-et-Marne region of France). Commissioned by the French Air Force in 1973, more than 700 Mirage F-1's have been sold to some 11 countries. The Dassault Mirage F-1C was the standard French fighter before Mirage 2000 entered service in the air force in 1984.

The wings are high-mounted, swept-back, and tapered. Missiles are usually mounted at the wing tips. There is one turbojet engine in the body. There are semicircular air intakes alongside the body forward of the wing roots. There is a single exhaust. The fuselage is long, slender, pointed nose and a blunt tail. There are two small belly fins under the tail section and a bubble canopy. The tail is swept-back and tapered fin with a blunt tip. The flats are mid-mounted on the fuselage, swept-back, and tapered with blunt tips.

Specifications

Country of Origin France

Builder team :

Dassault Aviation, SNECMA, Thomson-CSF

Role
  • Mirage F1 CT - Close Air Support (CAS) / attack / fighter
  • Mirage F1 CR - Tactical reconnaissance / fighter

    • First flight :

    November 1981
    1992 for the new weapons system (F1 CT version)

    In-service in French Air Force :

    1983

    Similar Aircraft
  • Super Etendard
  • Mitsubishi F-1
  • AV-8B Harrier II
  • Fantan A
    • Crew
  • one
  • trainer--two
    • Length 49 ft (14.94 m) 15.33 m
    Span 27 ft, 7 in (8.4 m)

    Height :

    4.50 m

    Weight

    8.1 t empty
    15.2 t maximum at takeoff

    Power plant / Thrust :

    SNECMA Atar 9K50 jet engine / 4.7 t and 6.8 t with afterburner

    Ceiling 52,000 ft [20,000 meters ?]

    Maximum speed :

    Mach 2.2

    Cruise range 1160 nm
    In-Flight Refueling Y
    Internal Fuel 3435 kg

    Fuel capacity :

    4,100 l internal / 6,400 l maximal / In-flight refuelling

    Payload 6300 kg
    Sensors Cyrano IVM radar (-200 has IWMR), RWR
    Drop Tanks 1160 L drop tank with 927kg of fuel for 157nm of range
    2300 l drop tank with 1837kg of fuel for 310nm of range
    Armament
  • 2 30mm DEFA 553 cannon
  • 2 Matra Magic R550
  • free fall and parachute drag bombs

    • Special equipment :

    Radar Thomson-CSF Cyrano IV-MR (air-to-air, air-to-ground), inertial navigation system, panoramic camera Omera 40, vertical camera Omera 33, IR thermographic captor Super Cyclope, lateral radar Raphael, electromagnetic emissions detector Astac, photographic pod RP35P, Desire digital video recce pod, electronic counter measures

    NATO interoperability :

    In-flight refuelling by NATO aircraft, armament and ammunitions in accordance with NATO standards

    User Country
  • France
  • Greece
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Jordan
  • Kuwait
  • Libya
  • Morocco
  • Qatar
  • South Africa
  • Spain

    • Number of units produced :

    740 (all types of Mirage F1 included)

    French Air Force inventory :

    40 aircraft in 2 squadrons

    Reconnaissance sensors of the Mirage F1 CR

    Raphael TH

    Airborne electronic imagery radar with radio transmission

    600-kg pod for radar imagery (SLAR : Side Looking Airborne Radar) up to 100-km inside enemy lines

    Astac

    ASTAC is an ELINT/ESM system designed for detection, identification and localisation of radars of all types. It is suitable for medium and high altitude stand-off reconnaissance missions, or at low altitude on the battlefield and in penetration, where it can collect data for avoidance or destruction of anti-air defenses. The ASTAC tactical signals analyserpod is a light supersonic pod that is easy to install under any combat aircraft. It is currently in operation on French Air Force's Mirage F1CRs and the Japanese Air Force's RF-4E aircraft.

    Desire

    Electro-optical reconnaissance demonstrator

    Pendular pod for digital video reconnaissance (Thomson-CSF), including 610-mm high-definition stabilised optics. The pod is linked with the ground station SARA and with the multisensors interpretation aid system (SAIM)

    Super cyclope

    Thermographic sensor (infrared wavelength), whose information can be sent in real time or at a later time to a ground station.

    Pod RP35P

    Includes 75, 150, 200 and 600-mm focal length photographic camera

    Omera 33

    Camera taking shots vertically at intermediate altitude (150, 300 and 600-mm focal length)

    Omera 40

    Panoramic camera taking 180� downwards shots

    Sources and Resources


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    Maintained by Steven Aftergood
    Originally created by John Pike
    Updated Thursday, March 11, 1999 7:47:49 PM