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Aviation History
1962
1962 - 0021.PDF
FLIGHT International, 4 January 1962 21 Further support for the Mirage HIV will result from the signing (announced on December 26) of an agreement between Dassault a.id The Boeing Company which involves technical collaboration and licensing options in the field of military aircraft. Boeing have for many years had design teams at work on advanced fighter and strike projects, but they appear to have reached the same conclusion as BAC: that the IIIV is a good thing to be associated with. Mirage IV Although bearing a close aerodynamic resemblance to its smaller brother, the twin-engined Mirage IV bomber is an entirely new type weighing roughly three times as much. From the outset it has been sponsored by the French Government as the prime delivery vehicle for the French nuclear deterrent. The principle followed has been to use a free-falling bomb instead of an air- Jaunched missile, and to rely upon the Mirage IV's small size, outstanding performance and elaborate countermeasures to achieve the desired penetration. It is also clear that the aircraft, as at present conceived, has insufficient range to fly from French territory to any likely target and return, and unofficial reports have spoken of both air-refuelling and even of missions terminating at points in neutral or friendly territory. Originally it was expected that the Armee de l'Air would ultimately receive a larger medium bomber, with two turbojets each with a thrust of 12 metric tons (26,4501b). The choice fell upon the experimental Pratt & Whitney J75B, and this engine was specifically named in the agreement between Pratt & Whitney and SNECMA which was finally signed in December 1959. In the event, this aircraft was considered too costly, and it is now planned to purchase 50 bombers derived directly from the present prototypes. The first Mirage IV flew on June 17, 1959. Powerplants are Atar 9s, and in many respects the aircraft is based upon Mirage III experience. Pilot and navigator are seated in tandem, and the bomb is carried partially submerged beneath the rear fuselage. Very extensive communications, navigation and bombing equip ment, largely of CSF design, is specified, and much of it has already been installed in the prototype aircraft. Additional equipment is mounted in the second prototype (pictured on the previous pages), which first flew last October 2. The Mirage IV is probably the fastest aeroplane in Western Europe, and indicative of its per formance is the FAI-ratified speed of 1,132 m.p.h. on a 1.000km circuit, set up in September 1960. At present it is envisaged that the production bomber will be powered by Atar 9D engines, with steel/titanium compressors, and an even later afterburner with a convergent/divergent nozzle of MIRAGE DATA Span (ft) Length (ft) Gross weight (lb) Peak Mach number Initial climb (ft/min) IIIB 26.9 48 21,953 2.15 MIC 26.9 45.4 26,455 2.15 39,400 IV-01 38.8 76.9 65,500 2.2 Chief contractor for the Mirage IV landing gear is Messier (this is the steerable nose unit). Other firms contributing to the programme include Sud-Aviation, Nord-Aviation, SNECMA, CSF, Labinal and Cegedur. A simple cutaway drawing of this aircraft appeared in "Flight" for April 20, 1961 infinitely variable geometry and an automatic control system which brings reheat in progressively from Ml.4 to give thrust at altitude equivalent to 14,9901b at sea level. In practice, it may well be that the ultimate engine will be the TF-106, and preliminary calculations show that this would increase range by at least 19 per cent. In any event, the operational Mirage IV will be equipped for refuelling in flight, and a proportion of the anticipated batch of 50 is scheduled to be employed in a tanker role. It is hardly likely that the Mirage IV will achieve the export successes of its smaller partner. Nevertheless, the Australian Government and RAAF are carefully evaluating a number of aircraft in a search for a Canberra replacement. As this journal reported on December 14, the Mirage IV appears at present to be a likely candidate. A, Rolls-Royce RB.I62 lift engines; B, intake duct to propulsion engine; C, SNECMA TF-106 propulsion engine; D, lift-engine retractable intake cascades; E, doors to lift-engine bay; F, bleed-air manifold; G, control jets. Although unofficial, and to be regarded as provisional, this sketch shows a possible configuration for the Mirage IIIV VTOL strike fighter, which has the backing of several companies including Boeing and British Aircraft Corporation. In fact, the lift engines may not number eight, and two possible ways of installing them are suggested in the inset sketches. The tinted areas indicate tankage © lliffe Transport Publications Ltd 1962
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