The Mirage 2000 is a small but impressively powerful French aircraft. It was one of the few planes tasked to deter a full-fledged nuclear war.
Peculiar Aircraft
The Mirage 2000 is a peculiar aircraft- it looked as if someone took an F-16 Fighting Falcon and squeezed it into a smaller and shorter warplane.
However, its appearance is no accident. The plane was designed to be compact and light, delivering as much potency as it can from a single-engine configuration.
Delta Wing Issue
Dessau went for a delta-wing design despite the drawbacks to keep the new Mirage 2000 as quick and powerful as possible, especially for interception operations.
The introduction of two state-of-the-art systems helped the Mirage circumvent the issues that otherwise come from its delta wing design.
Performance
The Mirage was fitted with a powerful Snecma M53 after burning turbofan engine.
It can also deliver 20,000 pounds of thrust with an afterburner making it a small yet potent machine that could engage in interceptor operations.
Winged Rocket
Due to its size, cylindrical hull, and big exhaust nozzle, it looked like a rocket with wings attached.
It even performed like one when testing started, reaching an impressive Mach 2.2 supersonic speed.
Combat Operations
On October 8, 1996, it was believed that a Greek Mirage 2000 fighter jet was the fighter that shot down a Turkish F-16D over the Aegean Sea.
Moreover, the Mirage provided India with the air superiority it needed quickly routing Pakistani forces on May 1999 when Pakistani forces crossed the Line of Control to India’s side to abruptly assault international peace.