Mirage 2000

[PhantomII]

This is one fighter that really seems to have been right from the start. Does anyone know if the 2000-5 (or 2000C-5 however you designate it), is still the latest fighter version. If so, what all weapons can it carry. You know, my usual questions. What types of weapons, how many, and where is it possible for them to be fitted. I do know all its air-to-air weapons like the Magic, Sidewinder, MICA, Super 530, Skyflash, etc. I am really more interested in the ground attack weapons. I always hear about some French bomb type called the BAT-100 or maybe it is BAP-100, I am not sure. I don't know what it looks like or anything about it. Some info on this as well as other A/G weapons would be nice. Thanks.

[Div]

RE: Mirage 2000

The Mirage 2000-9 is a customised version of the -5 for the UAE. It and the -5Mk2 are the latest versions, with some electronics from the Rafale. They can carry just about every French ordinance in service .... Mica, Magic, Exocet, Armat, Storm Shadow/Apache/Scalp, LGBs, etc. I'm not sure about the ASMP though.

[Div]

RE: Mirage 2000

Here's the cockpit of a M2009.

http://www.geocities.com/milpics2/fighter/FR_Mirage2009_cp.jpg

or tryhttp://www.geocities.com/milpics2/fighter/FR_Mirage2009_cp.jpg

[elpalmer]

RE: Mirage 2000

Yeaaaaahhh! Phantom finally picked a good new gen fighter to talk about. I like this jet. It's not perfect, but what is?
Well we saw from an earlier post it can carry the storm shadow.

elp
usa

[Rosco]

RE: Mirage 2000

The BAP-100 is a lightweight penetrating runway cratering bomb carried and used in clusters of 18, a similar but slightly heavier weapon called the BAT-120 serves in the antiarmor role.

BAP-100 >

[minmiester]

RE: Mirage 2000

I think the latest version is the Mirage 2000-5/9 (2000-5, 2000-5Mk2 and 2000-9). The 2000C is of course the FAF Mirage 2000 that first flew in 1982. Does anyone know the first flight of the -5?

FAF 2000C versions are fitted with the Thomson-CSF RDI radar. The 2000-5s, 2000-5Mk2 and 2000-9s are fitted with the RDY, which offers faster processing. The RDY can simultaneously detect up to 24 targets and TWS 8 with the highest priority. Mirage 2000-5Mk2 are also fitted with the Thomson-CSF Optronique designation pod (also carried on Mirage 2000Ds?), which provides the ability to fire laser-guided weapons day and night.

The Mirage 2000 has a total of 9 harpoints, 5 under the fuselage and 2 under each wing. It can carry up to 6 MICA missiles, or 4 MICAs and 2 Magic IIs, simultaneously with 3 drop tanks. It is also fitted with two internally mounted 30mm guns.

In the a-g role, the Mirage 2000 can deliver the BGL-1000 LGB, AS30L laser guided missile, Armat ARM, AM39 Exocet AShM, Apache, Black Shahine, SCALP and Storm Shadow, as well as various rocket pods.

The Mirage 2000-5 is fitted with the latest SNECMA M53-P2 which provides 64kN of dry thrust and 98kN on burner. It has a range of 1100 miles (1900 miles with 3 drop tanks) and can reach a maximum speed of Mach 2.2 at altitude, Mach 1.2 at sea level.

Oh, and btw, it's a beautiful beast:

http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/mirage/images/mirage1.jpg

MinMiester

PS: Some questions for other guys on the forum:
When did the Mirage 2000-5 make it's first flight?
Are Mirage 2000s capable of using other western weapons (like AIM-9s, AIM-120s, Paveways, HARMS etc.)?

[Rosco]

RE: Mirage 2000

The first flight took place in 1978, Mirages doesn't nessessarily support NATO spec ordnance out the box as the stores support systems are ah...uniquely French, but any weapon can be easily adapted as desired as Dassault provides access to the onboard software source codes for its customers.

A fact not well known about the Mirage 2000 is that it's RCS is about one third lower than the next best aircraft of its generation in that regard, the F-16 Block 50. This only leads to a small real world advantage {all things being equal} by itself but you have to consider that the F-16 has a fair amount of RCS reduction measures incorporated compared to zero for the Mirage. Outfitting the Mirage with some RAM and a radar refractory canopy would probably drop detection distances to dangerous levels for the opponent.

[J33Nelson]

RE: Mirage 2000

I really liked the Super Mirage-4000. I think this could of been one of the greatest fighters ever. It was simple too. Take the Mirage 2000 as a base and add another engine. The result was doubled range, weapon load, etc. Too bad it was too expensive for the export market and too bad France already bought the Mirage 2000 and had no need and no money for the Super Mirage 4000. I think France should of sold the plans of the Super Mirage 4000 to Taiwan before Taiwan built 120 F-CK-1, bought 150 F-16s, and bought 60 Mirage 2000-5. Taiwan could of built at least 200 Super Mirage 4000 and later on could of updated them to the Super Mirage 4000-5 standard and fitted them with Mica missiles and other various mutions to keep China at bay.

J33Nelson

[minmiester]

RE: Mirage 2000

Rosco, are you sure about the 1978 figure for Mirage 2000-5 first flight? I thought the production variant of the 2000C first flew in 1982, or was that IOC date? Anyways, I thought the first flight of 2000-5 was in the 90s sometime...

MinMiester

[Rosco]

RE: Mirage 2000

Sorry Min, I guess I passed over that "-5" part, first flight for the -5 was in 1990.

[torpedo]

RE: Mirage 2000

The M2000D has a gold coated canopy.
Store pylones use NATO compatible fixing points and some innovative electromagnetic ejection device instead of explosive cartridges.

[Puffadder]

RE: Mirage 2000

The French have always placed great value in being able to make the Mirage and it´s systems interoperable with weapons of foreign manufacture. The 2000D is the primary air to ground version of the Mirage 2000 series. It has a terrain following radar, the Antelope, and is capable of flight down to 60 metres. The 2000 D is essentially France´s Strike Eagle in miniature. Apart from the obvious difference in size however, the biggest difference between the F15E and Mirage 2000D is in the targeting electronics. Whereas the F15 has a really big and outstanding radar which can produce accurate "pictures" of a ground target, the Mirage uses only optical means to aquire and designate a ground target. Although Dassault claim a modest groundmapping capability it is next to useless. The air-to-air capability is also useless. Dassault, I think, claim a head on detection, of 50 NM for a F16 size target- in real life a 2000D pilot sees the enemy plane at about the same time it appears on his radar screen. This, by the way, was told to me by a 2000D WSO who knows what he´s talking about. The French were given a load of Mk 82 slicks by the German government as payment for the Gulf thing, so the French themselves have been using American bombs for some time now. According to this WSO, the Mk82 doesn´t have good ballistics. He preferred the French equivalent although he reckoned that the Mk84 is great.
The latest version of the Mirage 2000-5, the MkII, has an improved RDY radar which allows a degree of terrain following combined with digital contour matching. However, this improved air to ground capability must be viewed with a degree of scepticism in that it has been conceived with export markets in mind that want a single seater. Ultimately nothing can replace a two seater for ground attack.

[PhantomII]

RE: Mirage 2000

I figured this topic would get a lot of replies. Thanks for the info guys. The BAP 100 seems like a good weapon. Why then, do the French produce the Durandal (in the U.S. it is called BLU-107)? Does it not do the same thing? Anyway, you guys know where is carries rocket pods and GP bombs? Also, can the Super Etendard be fitted with teh BAP 100 (or BAT 120 for that matter)? I know that is off topic, I just am wondering about it.

[DTJ]

RE: Mirage 2000

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 28-Feb-01 AT 10:25 PM (GMT)[/font][p]I think the UAE Mirages use Sidewinder (as well as Magic 2) – I believe they're the only ones to routinely carry non-French kit.
Have heard lots of good things about the 2000-5 - the French are due to take some to Cope Thunder in Alaska later this year so should get some feedback on how they fare against AESA-equipped F-15s (I know where my money's going!)

[cpt plt]

RE: Mirage 2000

I vaguely recall seeing something about how Mirage 2000Cs in the Gulf War had the highest availability rate of any coalition air defense aircraft. Also in Kosovo the 2000Ds had a almost 100% combat availability. Admittedly the stats may be skewed by the low numbers.
The Taiwanese AF rates its 2000-5s as the most reliable of their 3 new fighters with the F16 last.

[Puffadder]

RE: Mirage 2000

If anything the low numbers deployed actually have a negative impact on availability. Example- if 4(unrealistic, I know)aircraft were deployed and one of those 4 was to be out of action for 24 hours the availability would be 75%-three out of four available.

[Ahjor]

RE: Mirage 2000

Indian AF is thrilled about it..it is the only truly multi role aircraft in their inventory ( Till the Su 30 MKIs come up)

Great Safety record, combat proven in Kargil with Precision strike missions and relatively few maintenance hassles.

A much superior multi role aircraft to the F 16 anyday

[torpedo]

RE: Mirage 2000

On the other hand if you have only 4 aircrafts to maintain it is easier then for 60 or 100. (spare parts availability, technician can spend more time on one plane and you can rotate more airframes ...)

[Puffadder]

RE: Mirage 2000

Torp, all these planes require their routine maintenance. I see that Dassault are now quoting 6,7 direct man hours per flight hour compared to 13 for the F16. Although you´re right to say that the tecnicians would be able to rotate the airframes quicker(my example of 4 airframes was a bit stupid) generally the more planes you have the more maintenance crews you have. What hits availability is an unforseen occurrence like an equipment failure or perhaps a hydraulics failure( which can hit any plane, be it French, US or Russian). In instances like these, my example is valid. During the Gulf thing the French managed to maintain a very high sortie rate given the low number of planes available(14 planes were available with a total of 18 having been rotated through Saudi Arabia).
I´m pleased that the Indian Airforce is happy with their planes and that they´ve ordered more( although I´m a bit confused about exactly what Mirages the Indians have now ordered). Some years ago a couple of British journalists who routinely trash the French stated that the Indian Airforce were most unhappy with their Mirages and that the handling was terrible and that the maintenance demands were very high. I didn´t believe a word of it then and I am led to believe that I was right not to.
Having said all this, the F16 is still a great plane(especially the MLU and later blocks).

[Ahjor]

RE: Mirage 2000


>I´m pleased that the Indian Airforce
>is happy with their planes
>and that they´ve ordered more(
>although I´m a bit confused
>about exactly what Mirages the
>Indians have now ordered). >


So am I So am I, The Model sold to India was the 2000H...whatever that means, 10 new ones have been ordered, some say its the old H version, some reports say its the new 2000-5...some reports have them as being 2 seaters, which combined with the IAF's parallel order for 18 Two seat Jaguars has raised all sorts of sepculation on "Wild Weasel" squadrons being formed in the IAF.

I guess we will only know when the Aircraft land up in India