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Aviation History
1962
1962 - 0018.PDF
TANG "THE MOS- ILLUSTRATED on these pages are the current versions of the most successful family of European military aeroplanes of their generation. The Mirage III series of reconnaissance, strike and fighter aircraft, and the Mirage IV bomber are entirely of French design and construction. Such is their performance that both appear likely to win export orders from more Air Forces than all their rivals combined. Already the basic 11IC has broken into the British Commonwealth, and within a year a successor may even be on order for the Royal Air Force. Not even Marcel Dassault could have foreseen all this in 1954 when his company decided to build a lightweight day fighter to meet a French requirement for a target-defence intercepter. The specification laid great emphasis on speed and climb, but not upon range, all-weather radar or the ability to perform any type of strike mission. In the event nothing tame of the competition at all, but Dassault's entry—which was to some extent inspired by the Fairey F.D.2.—was a tailless delta of singularly neat design, powered by a pair of Bristol Siddeley Viper turbojets. Even on this relatively modest thrust it was supersonic. So encouraging were the results obiaincd that Dassault decided to produce a development powered by a SNECMA Atar, and this version, known as the Mirage III, flew on November 17, 1956. Powered by an Atar 101G (9,9201b with reheat), it achieved Ml.5 in January 1957, and subsequently Ml.9 when fitted with an aux iliary SEPR.66 booster rocket. From this aircraft has been evolved a succession of operational variants which have secured orders for the Armee de l'Air and several other countries. By 1962 standards these are without parallel. Easic development difficulties were ironed out with a "pre- series" of ten Mirage IIIAs, the first of which flew on May 12, 1958. These were the first aircraft to introduce the Atar 9B engine, with dry and reheat ratings of 9,-60 and 13,2301b. Without booster rocket, the I rst III A exceeded M2 in level flight in October 1958, probably becoming the first aeroplane outside the USA and Soviet Union to do so. This was not the limit of the performance envelope, for the official French figure is M2.15. Dassault also announce that test flights have reached an altitude of 82,000ft, although this may well have been a zoom. Mirage IIIB is the designation of a tandem-seat development with dual controls. Some 32in longer than the single-seater, The two latest versions of the Mirage III are the IIIR, with camera-filled nose, and the HIE all-weather strike aircraft, respectively pictured at upper and lower left. Above, right, is the flight-line of aircraft (nearly all IIICs) at Melun. Below is a striking shot of the second Mirage IV bomber, which is slightly larger than the Mirage IV 01 and incorporates additional equipment ; gross weight is approximately 65,5001b. MMHHH&*.
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