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Dassault Mirage IV

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Mirage IV
A French Air Force Mirage IV
Role Supersonic strategic bomber
National origin France
Manufacturer Dassault Aviation
First flight 17 June 1959
Introduction 1 October 1964
Retired 1996 all bomber variants
2005 all reconnaissance variants
Status Retired
Primary user French Air Force
Produced 1963–1968
Number built 62 + 4 prototypes
Developed from Dassault Mirage III

The Dassault Mirage IV was a French jet-propelled supersonic strategic bomber and deep-reconnaissance aircraft. For many years it was a vital part of the nuclear triad of the Force de Frappe, France's nuclear deterrent striking force.

Development

Work on a supersonic bomber able to carry a nuclear bomb started in France in 1956 as part of the development of France's independent nuclear deterrent. In May 1956, the Guy Mollet government drew up a specification for an aerially-refuelable supersonic bomber capable of carrying a 3 metric ton, 5.2 meter long nuclear bomb 2,000km (without aerial refuelling).[1] The final specifications, jointly defined by government authorities and Dassault staff, were approved on 20 March 1957. Sud Aviation and Nord Aviation both submitted competing proposals, both based on existing aircraft; Sud Aviation proposed the Super Vautour, a stretched Sud Aviation Vautour with 10,500 lb thrust Atar engines and a combat radius of 1,700 miles at Mach 0.9.[2] Dassault's proposal for what became the Mirage IV was chosen on the basis of lower cost and anticipated simpler development, being based upon a proposed early 1956 twin-engined night-fighter derived from the Dassault Mirage III fighter.[3]

Dassault's resulting prototype, dubbed Mirage IV 01, looked a lot like the Mirage IIIA, even though it had double the wing surface, two engines instead of one, and twice the unladen weight. The Mirage IV also carried three times more internal fuel than the Mirage III. The aircraft's aerodynamic features were very similar to the III's but required an entirely new structure and layout. This prototype was 67 feet long, had a 37 ft wingspan, 670 square feet of wing area, and weighed approximately 55,000lb. [4] It was considerably more advanced than the Dassault Mirage III, incorporating new features such as machined and chem-milled planks, tapered sheets, a small amount of titanium, and integral fuel tanks in many locations including the leading portion of the tailfin. [5]

The 01 was an experimental prototype built to explore and solve the problems stemming from prolonged supersonic flight. The sizable technological and operational uncertainties (no plane had yet been found able to cruise at over Mach 1.8 for long periods of time) were only one part of the problem. The weapon-related issues were the other.

It took 18 months to build the 01 in Dassault's Saint-Cloud plant near Paris. In late 1958, the aircraft was transferred to the Melun-Villaroche flight testing area for finishing touches and ground tests.

French General Roland Glavany, on a five-year leave from the French Air Force since 1954, took the 01 into the air for its maiden flight on 17 June 1959.[6][7] For its third flight, on 20 June 1959, the 01 was authorized to fly over the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget airport in front of France's President Charles de Gaulle.[citation needed] On 19 September 1960, René Bigand (replacing Glavany as test pilot) increased the world record for speed on a 1000-kilometre closed circuit to 1,822 km/h (1,132 mph) around Paris and the Melun air force base.[6][8] Flight 138, on 23 September, corroborated the initial performance and pushed the record on a 500-km closed circuit to an average of 1,972 km/h (1,225 mph), flying between Mach 2.08 and Mach 2.14. The Mirage IV 01 prototype underwent minor modifications during testing in the autumn of 1959, most noticeably, the tail was enlarged (slight reduction in height, large increase in chord).[9]

In order to increase range, studies were made of a significantly larger Mirage IVB design, powered by two SNECMA license-built Pratt & Whitney J75 engines and having a wing area of 120 m² (1,290 sq ft) compared to 70 m² (750 sq ft) of the prototype IV.[10] This aircraft was to have a speed of Mach 2.4 and weigh 140,000lb gross, but was cancelled in July 1959 due to cost. [11]

With the Mirage IVB considered to be too expensive, the medium-sized Mirage IVA, slightly larger than the first prototype, was chosen for three more prototypes to be produced.[6] This aircraft had a wing area of 839 square feet and weighed about 70,000lb [12] These three aircraft were built between 1961 and 1963, with first flights on October 12, 1961; June 1, 1962; and January 23, 1963.[13] The second prototype conducted simulated nuclear bombing runs in the trials range at Colomb-Bechar in southern Algeria. The third prototype tested the navigation system and flight refueling probe. The fourth prototype Mirage IVA-04 was essentially representative of the production aircraft. [14]

For production, some parts of the aircraft were subcontracted to Sud Aviation (wings and rear fuselage) and Breguet Aviation(tailfin), still a separate company from Dassault intil 1967; Dassault manufactured the front fuselage and flight-control system. [15] The first production Mirage IVA was flown in December 7, 1963.[16] A series of 62 aircraft were built, and they entered service between 1964 and 1968. Although Dassault had designed the Mirage IV for the low-level flight role right from the start[17], the final 12 ordered in 1964 differed from the earlier aircraft in details of the flight controls, avionics, and structural details to enhance this low-level flight; these changes were later retroactively applied to the whole fleet. [18] The Mirage IV force soon consisted of nine squadrons of four aircraft (2 pairs - one aircraft carrying the nuclear bomb, one a buddy-refueling tanker) each, three squadrons each at the airbases at Mont de Marsan, Istres, and St. Dizier. [19]

By 1963, most Mirage IV missions were planned as low-level flights. [20]

In December 1963, Dassault proposed a Mirage IV-106 variant with 2 SNECMA TF106 (license-built Pratt and Whitney) engines, an enlarged 105,000 gross-weight fuselage, terrain-avoidance radar, and armed with a proposed French version of the American Douglas GAM-87 Skybolt air-launched ballistic missile. [21] This version would be very costly and was not ordered.

Design

The Mirage IV is similar in design layout to the Mirage fighters, featuring a tailless delta wing and a single square-topped vertical fin. However, the wing is significantly thinner to allow better high-speed performance and has a thickness/chord ratio of only 3.8% at the root and 3.2% at the tip; this wing was the thinnest built in Europe at that time and one the thinnest in the world. [22] It has two SNECMA Atar turbojets in the rear fuselage, with air intakes on both sides of the fuselage that had intake half-cone shock diffusers, known as souris ("mice"), which were moved forward as speed increased to reduce inlet turbulence. It can reach high supersonic speeds: the aircraft is redlined at Mach 2.2 at altitude because of airframe temperature restrictions, although it is capable of higher speeds. The aircraft has 14,000 liters (3,700 gal (US)) of internal fuel, and its engines are quite thirsty, especially in afterburner.

The crew of two (pilot and navigator) are seated in tandem cockpits under separate canopies. A bombing/navigation radar is housed within a radome in the fuselage under the intakes, aft of the cockpit. In 1980s, the Martin-Baker Mark 4 ejection seats were also apparently upgraded to Mark 6 standard, providing true "zero-zero (zero speed, zero altitude)" ejection capability.[23] A refueling boom is built into the nose and figures prominently in Mirage IV operations.

The Mirage IV has two pylons under each wing, with the inboard pylons being normally used for large drop tanks of 2,500 liter (660 gal (US)) capacity. The outer pylons carry ECM and chaff/flare dispenser pods to supplement the internal jamming and countermeasures systems. On current aircraft, these are typically a Barax NG jammer pod under the port wing and a Boz expendables dispenser under the starboard wing. No cannon armament was fitted. The early Mirage IVA had a fuselage recess under the engines for a single AN-11 or AN-22 nuclear weapon of 60 kt yield. The Mirage IV can carry 12 solid-fuel rockets diagonally down below the wing flaps, for rocket assisted take off (RATO). [24]

From 1972 onward, 12 aircraft were also equipped to carry the CT52 reconnaissance pod in the bomb recess. The CT52 is available in either BA (Basse Altitude, low-level) or HA (Haute Altitude, high-altitude) versions with three or four long-range cameras. A third configuration is an infrared line scanner. None of the CT52 has any digital systems, relying on older 'wet' film cameras.

Later Mirage IVP aircraft could be fitted a single centerline pylon for the ASMP stand-off missile.

The Mirage IVA could theoretically carry up to six large conventional bombs at the cost of drop tanks and ECM pods, but such armament was rarely fitted in practice.

Proposed Export Variants

In 1963, the Australian government sought a replacement for the Royal Australian Air Force fleet of English Electric Canberra bombers, largely in response to the Indonesian Air Force's purchase of missile-armed Tupolev Tu-16 Badger bombers. [25] Dassault proposed a version of the Mirage IVA with Rolls-Royce Avon engines. Australian Air Marshall Frederick Scherger seriously considered purchase of the IVA in 1961 because it was considered proven hardware already in service (in contrast to the BAC TSR-2 still in development), before settling on the General Dynamics F-111C. [26] The IVA was one of five aircraft types short listed but the General Dynamics F-111C was eventually selected.[27][28]

In April 1965, the British Government cancelled the BAC TSR-2 reconnaissance-strike aircraft. In response, Dassault and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) proposed a modified version of the Mirage IV as a replacement in July 1965.[29] The modified aircraft, known as the Mirage IV* or Mirage IVS (S for Spey) was to use 2 of the more powerful Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan engines with a total of 41,700 lbs of thrust, was larger (fuselage depth increased by 3 inches, had a approximately 2 foot forward fuselage extension, and was to weigh 80,000lb), and was to use avionics planned for the TSR-2, although British Aircraft Corporation preferred the French Antilope radar. [30] Although it was to be designed by Dassault, the production was to carried out jointly between Dassault and its subcontractors (wing, mid-fuselage, and tail) and British Aircraft Corporation or BAC (front and rear fuselage); the final assembly location was not determined before this proposal was rejected. [31] The Mirage IV* was to carry a bombload of up to 20,000lb.[32] While the IV* was claimed to meet most of the RAFs requirements, and to be £1 million cheaper than the American F-111, the F-111 was preferred (only to be cancelled in turn) and the Spey-engined Mirage abandoned.[33][34] The Mirage IV* met nearly every RAF requirement except for field length, and some claim it exceeded the F-111 slightly in speed and had at least equal range.[35] Its estimated cost was 2.321 million pounds per aircraft (for 50) or 2.067 million (for 110), less than the price of the F-111K. [36] British Aircraft Corporation claimed that the British government evaluation into the Mirage IV* was "relatively superficial". [37] However, some British government officials, including Parliament members Julian Risdale and Roy Jenkins, questioned the Mirage IV*'s capacity to operate from unprepared airstrips or to operate at low level, or claimed that the F-111 was a superior aircraft "in a class of its own". [38] However, Gunston notes that low-level Mirage IV missions had been planned since 1963 and Mirage IVs operated regularly at low level since 1965, and argues that the ability of a strategic bomber to operate from unprepared airstrips is historically unimportant. [39] Royal Air Force pilots who test-flew the Mirage IV were "favourably impressed" with its low level performance. [40]

BAC and Dassault had also hoped to sell the Mirage IV* to France and to export the Mirage IV* to various nations, such as India, possibly Israel, and others; the lack of a British sale put an end to such possibilities. [41] Some aviation journalists claim that the rejection of the Mirage IV* may have dampened French interest in joint Anglo-French cooperation. [42]

Operational history

In February 1964 deliveries of the Mirage IV to the French Air Force started, with the first French Mirage IV strategic bombing squadron being declared operational on 1 October that year.[43] The Mirage IV bomber force, when fully built up, consisted of three wings. These wings were each divided into three bomber squadrons, each with four Mirage IVs, each deployed at a different base to minimise the potential for an enemy strike to knock out the entire bomber force. These squadrons were:[44]

After establishment of its own deterrent force (the Force de Dissuassion, more commonly known as the Force de frappe, France withdrew from the military command structure of NATO in 1966.[45]

The primary objectives of the Mirage IVA force were major Soviet cities and bases. With aerial refueling, the plane was able to attack Moscow, Murmansk or Ukrainian cities from French bases. In order to refuel the Mirage IVA fleet, France purchased 14 (12 plus 2 spares) U.S. Boeing C-135F tankers.[46] Mirage IVAs also often operated in pairs, with one aircraft carrying a weapon and the other carrying fuel tanks and a buddy refueling pack allowing it to refuel its mate en route to the target. Even so, some sources state that some of the mission profiles envisioned were actually one-way, with the crew having no chance of returning after bombing a Soviet city.[47]

Initially, the basic attack flight profile was "high-high-high" at a speed of Mach 1.85, engaging targets up to a maximum radius of 3,500 km (2,175 mi). In the late 1960s, when the threat of surface-to-air missile defences made high-altitude flight too hazardous, the Mirage IVA was modified for low-altitude penetration. Flying low, the maximum attack speed was reduced to 1,100 km/h (680 mph) and the combat radius was also decreased.

By the 1970s it was clear that vulnerability of the Mirage IV to air defences (even in low-level flight) made the delivery of gravity bombs like the AN-11 or AN-22 impractical. As more of the deterrent role was passed to land-based IRBMs and submarine-based missiles, one wing of Mirage IVs was stood down in 1976,[48] while in 1979, in response, to the decreasing effectiveness of the free-fall bombs used by both its strategic and tactical nuclear forces, the French commenced development of the ASMP stand-off missile, with a range of up to 400 km (250 mi) and a single 150 or 300 kt nuclear warhead.[49] Eighteen Mirage IVAs were modified to carry the new weapon instead of bombs and received the new designation Mirage IVP (Penetration).[49][50] The first Mirage IVP flew on 12 October 1982 and entered service on 1 May 1986. This variant could carry either a single missile or a reconnaissance pod on the centerline. When the Mirage IVP entered service with EB 1/91 and EB 2/91 (six bombers per squadron) all other Mirage IVA squadrons were disbanded. The aircraft were conserved and stored at Bordeaux Mérignac where they were demolished in 1997.

In 1996 the Mirage IVP's nuclear mission was also transferred to the Mirage 2000N. EB 2/91 was disbanded and EB 1/91 was redesignated Escadron de Reconnaissance Stratégique (Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron), using the 12 remaining Mirage IVPs. In the reconnaissance role, the Mirage IVP has seen service over Bosnia, Iraq, Kosovo, and Afghanistan.

ES 1/91 Gascogne's surviving Mirage IVPs were retired in 2005 and are conserved and stored at the Centre d'Instruction Forces Aériennes Stratégiques (CIFAS) at Bordeaux Mérignac. They were scheduled to be immediately replaced by Mirage 2000N aircraft fitted with the new PRNG (Pod de Reconnaissance Nouvelle Génération, New Generation Reconnaissance Pod) system with digital camera equipment. However, the reconnaissance-configured 2000Ns will not be ready until 2007, so the Armée de l'Air's Mirage F1CRs are carrying out all aerial reconnaissance missions in the meantime.[needs update]

Note, however, that 16 Mirage IV airframes are visible via Google Earth at the Châteaudun Air Base (photo date 2007).

The Mirage IV had been popular with its crews, which find it enjoyable to fly despite its antiquated systems and generally uncomfortable cockpit, and it requires surprisingly little maintenance considering its age and complexity.[citation needed] Royal Air Force pilots who flew the Mirage IV at the Mont de Marsan airbase during its evaluation for the proposed Mirage IV* variant were "favourably impressed" with its low level performance. [51]

Operators

 France

Aircraft on display

  • 16 is on display at St Dizier airfield.
  • 43 is on display at Mont-de-Marsan airbase.
  • 62 is on display at the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace at Paris-Le Bourget.

Specifications (Mirage IVA)

A French Mirage IVP of escadron de bombardement 1/91 Gascogne on tarmac

Data from Pénétration Augmentation [52]

General characteristics

Performance

  • Climb to 11,000 m (36,100 ft): 4 min 15 sec

Armament

  • Bombs:
    • 1× AN-11 free-fall nuclear bomb or
    • 1× AN-22 free-fall nuclear bomb or
    • 16× 454 kg (1,000 lb) free-fall conventional bombs

Avionics

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

  1. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p104
  2. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p104
  3. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p106.
  4. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p106, 110
  5. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p104
  6. ^ a b c Jackson 1987, p.165.
  7. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p108
  8. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p113
  9. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p111
  10. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p109
  11. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p109
  12. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p112
  13. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p112
  14. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p112
  15. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p108
  16. ^ Jackson 1985, p.69.
  17. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p117
  18. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p117
  19. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p115
  20. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p116
  21. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p116
  22. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p108
  23. ^ http://airforceworld.com/bomber/eng/mirage-iv-supersonic-bomber-france-1.htm, retrieved 17 March 2011, The Martin-Baker Mark 4 ejection seats were also apparently upgraded to Mark 6 standard, providing true "zero-zero (zero speed, zero altitude)" ejection capability. {{citation}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  24. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p112
  25. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p118
  26. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p118
  27. ^ The Australian Quarterly, 41(2), June 1969. pp. 7–27
  28. ^ Bert Kinzey, F-111 Aardvark, RAB, 1989. p23
  29. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p120
  30. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p120, 112
  31. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p112
  32. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p123
  33. ^ Jackson 1987, pp. 170–171.
  34. ^ Jackson 1985, pp. 72–73.
  35. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p121-3
  36. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p122
  37. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p122
  38. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p123-4
  39. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p122
  40. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p122
  41. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p122
  42. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p124-5
  43. ^ Jackson 1987, p. 168.
  44. ^ Jackson 1985, pp. 70–71.
  45. ^ Jackson 1987, pp. 168–170.
  46. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p104
  47. ^ Dumoulin, André, Les Cahiers du RMES, II (1): 5–12 http://www.rmes.be/CDR3.pdf, retrieved 18 October 2010, (p. 5) Certes, la posture méditerranéenne ne pouvait totalement résoudre la question de l'autonomie après le largage de la bombe à gravité AN-21 puis AN-22, et il était imaginé, au pire, des vols «kamikaze» jusqu'aux cibles russes mais également des profils de vols de retour avec planification des zones de crash, avec l'abandon de l'équipage au-dessus de territoires alliés. {{citation}}: |contribution= ignored (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  48. ^ Jackson 1987, p. 171.
  49. ^ a b Jackson 1987, p. 163.
  50. ^ Michell 1994, p. 50.
  51. ^ Gunston, Bill. Bombers of the West. New York: Charles Scribner's and Sons; 1973. p122
  52. ^ Jackson 1987, p.166.
  53. ^ Donald and Lake 1994, p.127.
  • Donald, David and John Lake. Encyclopedia of World Military Aircraft. London:Aerospace Publishing, 1994. ISBN 1-874023-95-6.
  • Jackson, Paul. Modern Combat Aircraft 23:Mirage. Shepperton, UK:Ian Allen, 1985. ISBN 0-7110-1512-0.
  • Jackson, Paul. "Pénétration Augumentation". Air International, April 1987, Vol. 32 No. 4. pp. 163–171. ISSN 0306-5634.
  • Michell, Simon. Jane's Civil and Military Upgrades 1994-95. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Information Group, 1994. ISBN 0-7106-1208-7.
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