Dassault Mirage 4000
| Dassault Super Mirage 4000 | |
|---|---|
 Mirage 4000 in the Musee de l'Air et de l'Espace in Le Bourget |
|
| Type: | Prototype of an air superiority fighter |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
March 9, 1979 |
| Commissioning: |
Flight tests canceled |
| Production time: |
Was never mass-produced |
| Number of pieces: |
1 |
The Dassault-Breguet company developed the prototype of the twin-engine Mirage 4000 jet aircraft at its own expense and incorporated the experience they had gained with the single-engine Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft . The "Super Mirage 4000" was designed as a fighter-bomber and interceptor in a weight class of 20 tons.
History and construction
The Mirage 4000 leaned heavily on the Mirage F2 , a version for low-level attacks.
The aircraft had delta and duck wings and a modern fly-by-wire system. Nevertheless, the aircraft was designed very simply to facilitate maintenance. In order to save weight, carbon and boron fiber reinforced plastics were used in some components.
Its two SNECMA M53 engines, each with 95.16 kN, provided a thrust / weight ratio better than 1: 1.
In 1979 the prototype of the "Super Mirage" flew for the first time and reached a speed of over 1.2 Mach on its first flight .
After several trials, the fighter jet reached a top speed of 2,655 km / h and a peak altitude of almost 20,000 meters. She could also carry up to 8 tons of weapons, which she could carry on 14 outer pylons . Fully loaded, it had an operating weight of 16,100 kg and was therefore lighter than a comparable western fighter.
Due to budget cuts and a very high number of units, the project was abandoned in 1980 in favor of the Mirage 2000, despite Saudi Arabian support. Saudi Arabia therefore decided to purchase the McDonnell Douglas F-15 instead of the Mirage 4000 . Iran, which showed interest in the Mirage 4000, was no longer a potential buyer after the overthrow of the Shah .
Whereabouts
The only specimen is today in a desert camouflage in an unrestored condition on the open-air site of the French Aviation Museum in Le Bourget.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 1 |
| length | 18.70 m |
| span | 12 m |
| height | 5.8 m |
| Wing area | 73 m² |
| Empty mass | 13,400 kg |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 16,100 kg |
| Top speed | 2655 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 20,000 m |
| Range | 2000 km |
| Engines | 2 × SNECMA M53-2 jet engines with afterburners with 95 kN (22,000 lb f ) each |
| Armament | 2 × 30 mm guns Giat DEFA 554 8000 kg bombs and rockets at 14 outstations |
See also
literature
The fascination of flying , Chapter 16 "Prototypes and groundbreaking inventions"
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Mirage 4000 Origins and prototypes Dassault Aviation
- ↑ McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle Supreme Heavy-Weight Fighter Dennis R Jenkins, Aerofax, pp. 40-41. ISBN 1-85780-081-8
- ↑ Data from the Dassault Aviation website ( Memento from May 27, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (en)