AML 72041 Dassault Mirage IIIC in foreign service. Decals Israel South Africa Switzerland

The Dassault Mirage III / 5/50 is a French single-engine fighter-attack aircraft with a delta-shaped lobe, without horizontal tail. In late 1955, Dassault began building a single prototype that retained the delta wing and an enlarged fuselage that could accommodate one SNECMA Atar 101G1 engine. The resulting Mirage III-001 was flown on November 17, 1956, to reach a flight speed of 1.52Ma after just two months. The use of manually controlled cones in fixed side inlets and the Atar 101G2 engine with thrust increased to 4490 kg, allowed to increase the speed to 1.65Ma, and then by using the SERP rocket accelerator - to 1.8Ma. To achieve the highest speed, Dassault modified the wing and after the first flight on May 12, 1958, Mirage IIIA reached the speed of 2.2Ma with an additional rocket engine. This led to the launch of production of the two-seater training version with tandem seats - the Mirage IIIB and the single-seat interceptor Mirage IIIC. The latter version had a built-in Cyrano AI radar, and two 30mm cannons could be supported by Matra R.530 or AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles. The next important version was the long-range Mirage IIIE fighter-bomber, with the Atar 9C engine built into a slightly extended hull. This version was equipped with the Cyrano II radar, which, in combination with the Doppler radar and the TACAN navigation system, made it possible to conduct an attack at low altitude without the target's visibility in all weather conditions. Modification programs Mirage III (and derivatives V and 50) include the installation of modern navigation systems, weapons control and adaptation to modern types of weapons. The second area of modification is the installation of Atar 9K-50 engines with a thrust greater by about 20%, adaptation to centralized refueling under pressure and refueling during the flight, installation of zero-zero class catapult seats, improved visibility from the cabin, installation of front control surfaces increasing maneuverability in air combat, adaptation to carrying containers, e.g. for electronic warfare, laser target marking, recognition or infrared imaging of targets. Technical data (version IIIC): length: 14.77m, wingspan: 8.22m, height: 4.25m, maximum speed: 2.2Ma, climb speed: 83m / s, maximum range (with additional tanks): 4000km, maximum ceiling 17000m, equipment: fixed - two 30mm DEFA 552 cannons, suspended (Mirage 5) - up to 4200 kg of cargo.