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| the French Mirage 2000C fighter jet |
International Military - France's Mirage 2000C fighter jet was officially retired on 23 June. The last unit to use the aircraft, the Escadron de Chasse 2/5 or EC 2/5, known as the “Ile de France,” was also disbanded with the retirement of the Mirage-2000C fighter jet. However, this unit could return and be equipped with the newer '4+ generation' Rafale fighter jets in 2024.
The Mirage 2000C is a class that entered service in 1983 and has now been in service for four decades. Not only that, the Mirage 2000C is also one of France's first fourth-generation fighter aircraft. At the time, this aircraft was considered to have little competition between non-US and non-US.
Quoted from Military Watch Magazine, it can also compete with Soviet fourth-generation fighters in the 1980s and 1990s in terms of performance. However, the Mirage 2000 is still considered less capable when compared to the US F-16 and Soviet MiG-29.
The price of the Mirage 2000 is also unaffordable which makes the lack of interest salty. This is what led to its cancellation with European countries exclusively producing light fighter aircraft since then.
Quoted from the Eurasian Times, during the heyday of the Mirage 2000C aircraft, nine different squadrons flying the Mirage 2000C were stationed at three French air bases. The main drawback of the Mirage 2000 is that it is considered obsolete much earlier. This is because unlike the US or Russia, the Mirage 2000 has no offer to modernize.
In other words, the possibility of it being upgraded is very minimal. In addition, the last Mirage 2000C squadron to leave service was one of the world's least impressive air-to-air combat units. These fighters are only equipped with Magic II short-range heat-seeking air-to-air missiles, meaning they cannot operate beyond visual range.
In contrast, the updated F-16 variant is equipped with the AIM-120D radar-guided missile with a range of 160–180 kilometers.
The early 37 Mirage-2000C aircraft had a faulty RDM radar that was eventually coupled to a Super 530F missile with semi-active radar homing and an M53-5 transient engine producing about 19,800 pounds of power.
However, later the aircraft switched to the RDI radar used by the upgraded long-range Super 530D missile and was powered by the more powerful M53-P2 engine.
The Mirage 2000C has a fundamental disadvantage over most Western fighters and drones in that it is constantly limited in its offensive mission by the absence of a targeting pod.
That means that ground units, drones, or manned aircraft must aim the GBU-12 at the target. This is also what makes the Mirage 2000C quickly considered obsolete earlier.
Quoted from aerotime.aero, loosely based on the Mirage III, the Mirage 2000 entered development in the 1970s and entered service in 1983.
After the Mirage 2000C was retired, the ground attack variant, the Mirage 2000D, remained the only Mirage in French service.
Apart from France, Brazil was the only other country operating the Mirage 2000C, before retiring the aircraft in 2013.
Many export versions of the jet, such as the Mirage 2000H and Mirage 2000 P, remain in service in countries around the world.