List of Dassault Mirage III operators
This is a list of Dassault Mirage IIIs, Mirage 5s, and Mirage 50s used by national air forces.
This is an approximate list. The key "1S" indicates a single-seat Mirage fighter, while "2S" indicates a two-seat Mirage, and "PR" indicates a photoreconnaissance machine.
Operators
Abu Dhabi / United Arab Emirates
- Abu Dhabi Defence Force
- United Arab Emirates Air Force
- 1S: 12 5AD + 14 5EAD
- 2S: 3 5DAD
- PR: 3 RAD
- Out of Service
Argentina
- Single seaters: 19 IIICJ + 17 IIIEA
- Double seaters: 3 IIIBJ + 4 IIIDA
- Plus 35 IAI 1S Dagger-A + 4 IAI 2S Dagger-B. Survivors locally updated to Finger Standard.
- Plus 10 5P. Survivors (9) locally updated to Mara Standard.
- IIICJs & IIIBJs were ex-Israeli, 5Ps were ex-Peruvian.
Australia
116 Mirage IIIs (RAAF serial A3-1 to -116) were in service with the RAAF from 1964 to 1988.
- No. 3 Squadron RAAF
- No. 75 Squadron RAAF
- No. 76 Squadron RAAF
- No. 77 Squadron RAAF
- No. 79 Squadron RAAF
- No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit RAAF
- Aircraft Research and Development Unit
- 1S: 49 IIIO(F) + 51 IIIO(A)
- 2S: 16 IIID
- Most built locally, all now sold to Pakistan.
Belgium
- Belgian Air Force
- 1S: 63 5BA
- 2S: 16 5BD
- PR: 27 5BR
- Minor upgrade performed on survivors in early 1990s, but all were then retired. Some transferred to Chile as Elkans.
Brazil
- 1S: 16 IIIEBR + 6 IIIEBR-2
- 2S: 4 IIIDBR + 6 IIIDBR-2
- all IIDBR-2 & IIIEBR-2 were ex-AdA.
- Many assembled locally. Survivors upgraded with canards and so on in early 1990s. Last one retired in 2005
Chile
- 1S: 6 50C + 8 50FC + 19 Elkans
- 2S: 3 50DC + 6 Elkans
- 50FC were upgraded by Dassault from AdA 5Fs and then updated by Enaer to Pantera standard. Elkans are ex Belgium Mirage 5.
- Some ex South Africa Cheetahs as spares.
- Retired on 31 December 2007[2]
Colombia
- 1S: 14 5COA Converted to 5COAM
- 2S: 2 5COD converted to 5CODM
- PR: 2 5COR Converted to 5COAM
- Most Colombian Mirages upgraded in early 1990s to improved Kfir standard.
- All retired in 2010.
Ecuador
Egypt
- 1S: 54 5SDE + 16 5E2
- 2S: 6 5SDD
- PR: 6 5SDR
France
- 1S: 95 IIIC + 183 IIIE + 58 5F
- 2S: 27 IIIB + 5 IIIB1 + 10 IIIB2(RV) + 20 IIIBE
- PR: 50 IIIR + 20 IIIRD
All aircraft retired.
Gabon
- Gabon Air Force
- 1S: 3 5G + 2 5G-2
- 2S: 4 5DG
- Two surviving 5Gs were updated to 5G-2 spec.
- Aircraft withdrawn from use.
Israel
- 101 Squadron
- 117 Squadron
- 119 Squadron
- 253 Squadron
- 254 Squadron
- 113 Squadron (Nesher only)
Lebanon
- 1S: 10 IIIEL
- 2S: 2 IIIDL
- all aircraft sold to Pakistan in 2000[3]
Libya
- Libyan Air Force
- 1S: 53 5D + 32 5DE
- 2S: 15 5DD
- PR: 10 5DR
- Most of them sold to Pakistan as part of Project ROSE
Pakistan
The Pakistan Air Force is the largest operator of the Dassault Mirage III with a fleet strength of around 156 aircraft. The fleet consists of fighters built for Pakistan (Mirage IIIEP) in the 60s and 70s as well used French, Australian, Libyan and Lebanese aircraft bought in the 1990s and early 2000s. Some 35 of the ex-Australian Mirage III were modernised with new avionics under the first stage of the ROSE (Retrofit Of Strike Element) upgrade programme to make air superiority specialised "ROSE I" fighters.
- 1S: 18 IIIEP + 43 III(0) + 28 5PA + 28 5PA2 + 12 5PA3
- 2S: 5 IIIDP + 7 IIID + 2 5DPA2
- PR: 13 IIIRP
- The III(0) and IIID models were Australian-made and locally refurbished at the Mirage Rebuild Factory of Pakistan Aeronautical Complex.
All Mirage III/Mirage V aircraft are to be retired and replaced with the Pakistan/China produced JF-17 by 2025.
The Pakistan naval air arm operates more than 12 aircraft based at PNS Base Faisal.
Peru
- 1S: 22 5P + 10 5P3 + 2 5P4
- 2S: 4 5DP + 2 5DP3
- 10 5P transferred to Argentina and rest upgraded.
- Survivors stored by 2005.
South Africa
- No. 2 Squadron SAAF
- 1S: 16 IIICZ + 17 IIIEZ
- 2S: 3 IIIBZ + 3 IIIDZ + 11 IIID2Z
- PR: 4 IIIRZ + 4 IIIR2Z
- All out of service, some having been upgraded to Cheetah standard. There were about 16 Cheetah E conversions (all out of service); 38 Cheetah C conversions; 16 Cheetah D conversions; and one Cheetah R conversion (scrapped).
- Some Cheetahs E were sold to Chile for use as spare parts for Panteras.
Spain
- 1S: 24 IIIEE
- 2S: 6 IIIDE
- Upgrade plan (APQ-159 radar, HUD + 2xCRT, AYK-14 computer, new RWR, ALE-40 decoy launchers, AIM-9L/AGM-65G capability, four extra hardpoints) cancelled in 1991. Withdrawn from service in October 1992. The survivors were used as part of the payment for the Mirage F-1M upgrade and later sold to Pakistan.
Switzerland
- 1S: 1 IIICS + 36 IIIS
- 2S: 4 IIIBS + 2 IIIDS
- PR: 18 IIIRS
- Most built locally, many upgraded with canards, optics etc. Withdrawn from service in 2003.
- one 2s still flies again for civilian discoveries
Venezuela
- 1S: 7 IIIEV + 6 5V + 9 50EV
- 2S: 3 IIIDV + 1 50DV
- Retired from service in December 2009.
Zaire
- 1S: 8 5M
- 2S: 3 5DM
- All sold to Egypt in the early 1990s.
See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dassault Mirage III. |
References
- ↑ "Mirage Argentina - El sitio de los Deltas Argentinos - Matriculas de los Mirage VA Mara". www.mirageargentina.com.ar. Retrieved 2008-09-09.
- ↑
- ↑ Lebanese Army Website