![]() The new Mirage with 5 suspension points is capable of carrying missiles for both close combat and for attacking distant targets, and the new radar allows effective locking on targets at all practical heights - both above and below the aircraft. The advanced radar is complemented by excellent air-to-air missiles, which include both the familiar Matra 530 and Magic 1, as well as the new Super Matra 530F medium-range missiles with an semi-active radar seeker. The Mirage F1 radar is capable of detecting targets against the ground, as well as at distances up to 6,000 metres up. The second and main difference is an effective radar and advanced air-to-air missiles. Instead, the Mirage F1C is outfitted with a more traditional swept wing design. The first and most noticeable difference pilots will encounter on the new Mirage is the missing delta wing design - a distinct feature of the original aircraft. In the late 2000s, French Mirage F1s also supported international forces during operations in Afghanistan.Īpart from France, several other nations such as Greece, Spain, South Africa, Qatar, Iraq, Morocco, and many others, operated variants of the Mirage F1. Mirage F1s also took part in French operations during the Gulf War in 1990. After Dassault persuaded the Air Force to accept the Mirage F1 into service in order to make the aircraft also marketable to foreign operators, the first production order for the aircraft was issued in 1969.Įntering official service with the French Air Force in March 1974, the Mirage F1 took part in their first combat operations a decade later flying sorties against insurgent forces in Chad. Subsequently, the Air Force ordered a small batch of pre-production aircraft to be built in April 1967. In late 1966, the French Air Force also expressed interest in the aircraft and officially adopted the development programme. In late 1966, the first prototype conducted its maiden flight and the initial test results proved to be rather positive. Among them, a smaller swept wing design of the Mirage outfitted with the latest and more powerful SNECMA Atar 9K-50 turbojet engine garnered the interest of Dassault engineers as a possible future replacement to the existing Mirage III and Mirage 5 fighters.Ĭonfident in the design, Dassault began conducting further design work under the official name Mirage F1 as part of a private venture. ![]() In the early 1960s, Dassault Aviation was conducting intense design studies on the basis of the Mirage, resulting in a number of different variations of the aircraft emerging. ![]()
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