Dassault



 Strike fighter


History

The Mirage 5, equipped with the same airframe as the Mirage IIIC and engine as the Mirage IIIE, was conceived as a daylight ground strike fighter (radar replaced by a simplified navigation and attack system). Equipped with larger tanks, two additional stations, a mofified landing gear and a new nose section taking an Aïda radar, the Mirage 5 was armed with two 30 mm DEFA guns, plus an external load capability of 4000 kg.
At the beginning, the Mirage 5 was conceived to answer Israeli requirements, but after the attack of Beyrouth airport by Tsahal, General de Gaulle on January 3rd, 1969 decreed the embargo on the order of 50 aircrafts, which thereafter were repurchased by France and modified in Mirage 5 F.
Having produced "up-market" and "down-market" Mirages, Dassault took care to make aircrafts of intermediate quality. Adjusting electronic equipments composition, Dassault was able to satisfy all the requests of potential Mirage 5 customers. This process went so far that ingeneers virtually re-invented the Mirage III. The most striking example is the Mirage 5 EAD, for Abu Dhabi ; these aircrafts are equipped with a Cyrano radar placed in the nose, and a navigation Doppler under the fuselage, but these two characteristics are very precisely those of Mirage IIIE. The Mirage 5 BA of the Force Aérienne Belge, although deprived of radar, are also equipped with rather advanced navigation and attack systems.




Production and export

Mirage 5, like Mirage III family planes, came out from the Mérignac factory. The production took ends in 1985 and concerned, all versions mixed up , a total of 532 aircrafts, some of them produced under licence in Belgium. The aircraft had a great export success: Abu Dhabi, Belgium, Colombia, Egypt, Gabon, Libya, Pakistan, Perou, Venezuela and Zaire.
In June 1982, 10 Mirage 5 P were sold to Peru by Argentina. In 1970 and 1972, Israel launched the manufacture of a very similar aircraft named Nesher.


Career

Initially not envisaged for France, the Mirage 5 F equipped the Escadron de Chasse 3/13 Auvergne, based in Colmar and the Escadron de Chasse 3/3 Ardennes, in Nancy-Ochey. This last unit was transformed on Jaguar and its aircrafts were taken into account by Escadron 2/13 Alpes, in Colmar.
The last Mirage 5 F flew on June 29, 1999 thus marking 22 years of service within the Armée de l'Air (1972-1994).

Technical features
Wingspan	8,22 m
Length	15,55 m
Height	4,50 m
Wing area	35 m2
Empty weight	6600 kg
Gross weight	13700 kg
Max. range	1000 km
Max. speed	Mach 2,2
Turbojet	1 SNECMA Atar 9C-7 of 6200 kg thrust
Basic armament	2 30mm DEFA 552A cannons

CAEA's specimen

Conservatoires's Mirage 5 is number 29 and forms part of Mirage 5 J batch initially planned for Israel then become Mirage 5 F. It came out factory in 1969 and strored at Châteaudun until 1974. It was in use in Armée de l'Air at l'EC 3/3 Ardennes (3-XJ), then 2/13 Alpes (13-PG), then 3/13 Auvergne (13-SL, 13-SQ, 13-SO). Withdrawn from use in 1993 with 3906 hours of flight and 3772 landings, it come back to Dassault-Mérignac on december 19, 1995 for mechanics training. It's finaly entrusted with us by Dassault in december 1999 and repainted in operational colours in november 2001. Visible in the hangar

Mirage III B

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Mirage III NG