The Dassault Mirage III was Israel's premier jet fighter in the 1960s, and its first aircraft to break Mach 2.
The Israeli version was the IIICJ and it was used in both the air superiority and strike modes. Israel had ordered and received 72 Mirage IIICJs.
The Mirage proved more than equal to the Arab air forces' MiG-21s in Air-To-Air Combat.
This particular Mirage has an interesting history.
This is the Israeli aircraft that had downed the first Syrian MiG-21 on July 14, 1966. It is also the IAF's top scoring aircraft with 13 aerial victories. Note the thirteen kill rings on the nose. That's 9 Syrian jets (the three-star roundels) and 4 Egyptian jets that this plane has shot down. It's also currently in Argentine Air Force markings, as it was sold to Argentina and then later returned. Only two other Israeli Aircraft have 13 kills - another Mirage and an IAI Nesher.
The Israelis liked the Mirage so much they ordered and paid for the latest version, the Mirage V from France.
Unfortunately, After the 6 Day War, Charles de Gaulle had the gall to not only place an arms embargo on Israel after it had ordered and paid for the Mirage Vs, and refused to allow Israel to receive them, but to add insult to injury turned around and sold the already paid for aircraft to Libya.
So the Israelis decided in the face of the embargo to build their own updated Mirage.
A lot of help in this venture came from Swiss Engineer Alfred Frauenknecht, who worked for Suissa, the manufacturer of Swiss licensed Mirage aircraft. Frauenknecht who was personally offended by the French embargo, copied thousands of the blueprints pof the Mirage V and gave them to Israel, making it possible for Israel to build its own version of the Mirage.
The Israelis named it the IAI Nesher:
Both the Mirage and the Nesher served successfully in the War of Attrition and during the Yom Kippur War.
In 1974 the Nesher was phased out in favor of the more advanced Israeli Mirage based aircraft, the Kfir, more of which will be seen later. The Neshers were then sold to South American Air Forces, including Argentina, where they were rebranded as "Daggers" and served in the Falklands War.
2 comments:
It probably dates me, but I think the Mirage is exactly what a jet fighter OUGHT to look like: Sleek, fixed wing, double intakes by the wings, tiny canopy.
Eaton Rapids Joe: Yep, its a beautifuyl and apparently really responsive aircraft.
As an Israeli Air Force pilot was once quoted as saying: "While I'd want a Phantom for a wife, I'd want the Mirage as a mistress".
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