Mirage 2000

Overview:

The Mirage 2000 is a French multirole fighter jet manufactured by Dassault Aviation. Designed in the late 1970s as a lightweight fighter for the French Air Force, it evolved into a successful multirole aircraft now in service in 9 countries with more than 600 Mirages built. Using the concept of the delta wing interceptor seen on the Dassault Mirage III, Dassault built a new fighter jet design. This configuration is not ideal with regard to maneuverability, low-altitude flight, and distance required for take-off and landing, but has advantages in high-speed flight characteristics, simplicity of construction, low radar signature and internal volume. The Mirage 2000 features a low-set thin delta wing with cambered section, 58 degrees leading-edge sweep (4 at the exit wing border) and moderately blended root; area-ruled; two small canard wings, fixed, placed just behind the air intakes. The flight commands on the wing are: four elevons (+15/-30°), four slats, four airbrakes (2 above and 2 below each wing). Its neutral point is in front of its center of gravity, giving the fighter relaxed stability to enhance maneuverability. It was the first fighter jet to incorporate negative stability in its design. An airbrake is fitted on top 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 small strakes mounted along each air intake. It has a runway arresting hook or fairing for a brake parachute can be fitted under the tail. The landing roll was reduced by robust carbon brakes. The backward-retracting, steerable nose gear features dual wheels, while the main gear features single wheels and retracts inward into the wings. A parachute brake is on the tail, just above the engine exhaust. Multi-spar metal wing; elevons have carbon-fiber skins with AG5 light alloy honeycomb cores; carbon-fiber/light alloy honeycomb panel covers avionics bay; most of the tailfin and all of the rudder are skinned with boron/epoxy/carbon; the rudder has a light alloy honeycomb core. The aircraft has a redundant fly-by-wire automatic flight control system, providing a high degree of agility and easier handling, together with stability and precise control in all situations. The fighter's airframe is naturally unstable, and so it is coupled with FBW commands to obtain the best agility; however, in override mode it is still possible to exceed a 270 deg/sec roll rate and allows the aircraft to reach 11 g (within the 12 g structural limit), instead of 9 g when engaged. The system is reliable with no known losses due to its failure. Thomson-CSF RDM multi-mode radar or Dassault Electronique/Thomson-CSF RDI pulse-Doppler radar for the Mirage 2000C/D, each with an operating range of 54 nm (100 km / 62 miles). This unit was an evolution of Cyrano radars, with more modern processing units and look-down/shoot-down capabilities. The effective range is around 60–70 km with modest capabilities against low-level targets. It is linked with Super R.530F missiles, and equipped the first 37 aircraft delivered to the French Air Force (Armée de l'Air) and most exported Mirages. It has multirole capabilities that enable its use in air-to-surface tasks, including anti-ship roles. The very early RDM were still not linked with the Super R.530F missiles, but it was solved quickly. The Mirage 2000 is equipped with a SNECMA M53-5 (first 37 airplanes), or SNECMA M53-P2 low-bypass ratio turbofan engine, depending on the aircraft version, which provides 64 kN of thrust dry and 98 kN in afterburner. The air intakes are fitted with an adjustable half-cone-shaped centerbody, which provides an inclined shock of air pressure for highly efficient air intake. Total internal fuel capacity is 3,978 litres in the Mirage 2000C and E, and 3,904 litres in the Mirage 2000B, N, D and S. There are also provisions for a jettisonable 1,300-litre centerline fuselage fuel tank and for a 1,700-litre drop tank under each wing.

Specifications:

Role

• Multirole fighter aircraft.

National Origin

• France.

First Flight

• 10 March 1978

Introduced

• June 1984

Primary Users

• French Air Force.
• United Arab Emirates Air Force.
• Indian Air Force.
• Republic of China Air Force.

Number Built

• 611

Unit Cost

• US$23 million.

Crew

• 1 pilot.

Length

• 14.36 m (47 ft 1 in).

Height

• 5.20 m (17 ft).

Empty Weight

• 7,500 kg (16,350 lb).

Loaded Weight

• 13,800 kg (30,420 lb).

Max Takeoff Weight

• 17,000 kg (37,500 lb).

Powerplant

• 1× SNECMA M53-P2 afterburning turbofan.
• Dry thrust: 64.3 kN (14,500 lbf).
• Thrust with afterburner: 95.1 kN (21,400 lbf).

Weapons

• Guns: 2× 30 mm (1.18 in) DEFA 554 revolver cannon, 125 rounds per gun.
• Rockets: Matra 68 mm unguided rocket pods, 18 rockets per pod.

Missiles
Air-to-air missiles:

• + 6× MBDA MICA IR/RF.
• + 2× Matra R550 Magic-II and 2× Matra Super 530D.

Air-to-surface missiles:

• + 2× AM.39 Exocet.
• + 2× AS-30L laser guided missile.
• + 1× ASMP tactical nuclear cruise missile.

Bombs

• 9× Mk.82

Avionics

• Thomson-CSF RDY (Radar Doppler Multi-target) radar.