Dassault Mirage IV

The Dassault Mirage IV was a French supersonic strategic bomber and deep-reconnaissance aircraft.

The aircraft entered service with the French Air Force in October 1964.

For many years it was a vital part of the nuclear triad of the Force de Frappe, France’s nuclear deterrent striking force.

The Mirage IV was retired from the nuclear strike role in 1996, and the type was entirely retired from operational service in 2005.

Specifications

Crew

2

Length

23.49 m (77 ft 1 in)

Wingspan

11.85 m (38 ft 11 in)

Height

5.4 m (17 ft 9 in)

Wing area

78 m2 (840 sq ft)

Airfoil

Root

3.8%

Tip

3.2%

Empty weight

14,500 kg (31,967 lb)

Gross weight

31,600 kg (69,666 lb)

Max take-off weight

33,475 kg (73,800 lb)

Powerplant

 2 × SNECMA Atar 9K-50 afterburning turbojet engines,

49.03 kN (11,020 lbf) thrust each dry, 70.61 kN (15,870 lbf) with afterburner

Performance

Maximum speed

2,340 km/h (1,450 mph, 1,260 kn) at 13,125 m (43,061 ft)

Maximum speed

Mach 2.2

Combat range

1,240 km (770 mi, 670 nmi)

Ferry range

4,000 km (2,500 mi, 2,200 nmi)

Service ceiling

20,000 m (66,000 ft)

Time to altitude

11,000 m (36,089 ft) in 4 min 15 sec

Armament

Bombs

1× AN-11 free-fall nuclear bomb

Or

1× AN-22 free-fall nuclear bomb

Or

1× Air-Sol Moyenne Portée nuclear missile (Mirage IVP)

16× 454 kg (1,000 lb) free-fall conventional bombs

Avionics

Thomson-CSF navigation radar

Doppler navigation

CT-52 sensor pod for strategic reconnaissance.