Dassault Mirage 4000

The Mirage 4000 is a prototype of Fighter plan developed by Dassault Aviation like a version twin-jet aircraft of the Mirage 2000. The two planes share a certain number of characteristics like their engines, their delta wings and the electric orders of flight. The development of the prototype was entirely financed by its manufacturer, but led to no construction in series.

Design

The studies for Mirage 4000 were launched in 1976, in parallel of those for the Mirage 2000 which had just been selected to equip the French Air force. Comparable cuts some with F-15 American Eagle, the plane is largely built in composite materials in order to reduce its weight to the maximum. It is equipped with a duck plan to the front one. Characteristic, the drift (of the size of a wing of Mirage F1) contains a fuel tank. On the whole, Mirage 4000 carries three times more fuel than the Mirage 2000.

The prototype makes its first flight March 9th 1979 is (with a margin of one day) a year after that of the Mirage 2000. April 11th, during its sixth trial flight, the plane exceeds Mach 2.

The Saudi Arabia and the Iraq are interested by the project but the negotiations do not succeed. Engaged in the program of the Mirage 2000, the France refuses to finance the five planes of preproduction desired by the manufacturer. The program is finally abandoned at the end of the years 1980, Dassault not having found of purchaser.

In 1986, single Mirage 4000 is remotorisé with Snecma M53-P2 and carries out tests within the framework of the program of the Rafale. The prototype, which accomplished approximately 290 flights, is with the Musée of the air and space since 1995.

See too

List of the military aircrafts

External bonds

Mirage 4000 on the official site of Dassault
Mirage 4000 on the site of association IT Mercure

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