Book Review of
Dassault Mirage 2000 Fighter
Flying With Air Forces Around the World
Aircraft in Detail 003
Author: Duke Hawkins
HMH Publications
ISBN: 978-2-9602488-2-1
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $31.00
ISBN: 978-2-9602488-2-1
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $31.00
HISTORY:
The Dassault Mirage 2000 is a French multirole, single-engine fourth-generation jet fighter manufactured by Dassault Aviation. It was designed in the late 1970s as a lightweight fighter to replace the Mirage III for the French Air Force (Armée de l'Air).
The Mirage 2000 evolved into a multirole aircraft with several variants developed, with sales to a number of nations. It was later developed into the Mirage 2000N and 2000D strike variants, the improved Mirage 2000-5 and several export variants.
Over 600 aircraft were built and it has been in service with nine nations.
The SNECMA M53 afterburning turbofan was developed for the ACF, and was available for the Mirage 2000 project. It is a single-shaft engine of modular construction that is relatively light and simple compared to those of the British or American designs.
The M53 consists of three low-pressure compressor stages, five high-pressure stages and two turbine stages. With the development program consisting of 20 engines, the M53 sans suffix was first bench tested in February 1970 and became airborne on a Caravelle testbed in July 1973.
Dassault conducted flight tests of the M53-2 version using its Mirage F1E testbeds starting in December 1974; this version produced 84 kilonewtons (19,000 lbf) in afterburner. The Mirage 2000 itself was powered by two versions of the M53—the M53-5, which equipped initial operational aircraft, was rated at 88 kN (20,000 lbf) of thrust with afterburner.
The definitive version of the engine, the M53-P2, which equipped the majority of the type, is rated at 65 kN (15,000 lbf) in dry thrust and 95 kN (21,000 lbf) in afterburner.
The Mirage 2000 is equipped with built-in twin DEFA 554 autocannon (now GIAT 30–550 F4) 30 mm revolver-type cannons with 125 rounds each. The cannons have selectable fire rates of 1,200 or 1,800 rounds per minute.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Multirole fighter
National origin: France
Manufacturer: Dassault Aviation
First flight: 10 March 1978[1]
Introduction to service: July 1984
Status: In service
Primary users: French Air Force, United Arab Emirates Air Force, Republic of China Air Force (Taiwan), Indian Air Force
Produced: 1978–2007
Number built: 601
Unit cost: $30.6 million
Variants: Dassault Mirage 2000N/2000D
Developed into: Dassault Mirage 4000
THE BOOK:
This book is soft-cover of 106 pages in 9 ½” x 9 ½” page format.
The cover art shows a color photo of a Mirage 2000D in flight and approaching the refueling line from a KC-130J aerial tanker of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit over Djibouti in November 2012.
The back cover shows two Mirage 2000's at sunset sitting on a runway.
There are 271 color photos in the book. (counting the 2 covers).
Photos show Mirage 2000’s in flight, on the ground and having maintenance done on them.
198 photos are of the walk-around type. They show cockpit interiors and seats, landing gear, drop tanks, engines and a pilot’s helmet with a oxygen mask.
There are special paint schemes shown that were used at the Tiger Meet.
One is all black with a grey nose and a white fuselage stripe outlined in orange and a tiger head on the rudder.
A second one at the Tiger Meet was overall grey with yellow bands across the wings, fuselage and rudder.
A third one at the Meet had a white tiger on the fuselage sides and large yellow curls on top of the wings and on the rudder sides.
A fourth one with 2 shades of grey camouflage, with a red and black rudder with a white tiger face on it.
A fifth all black one with a indian face wearing a feathered headdress on the rudder.
A sixth one with 2 shades of grey camouflage and a wasp on its rudder.
A seventh one that is overall grey with yellow tiger stripes on the fuselage sides and tops of the wings and a tiger face on the rudder.
For the 90th anniversary of SPA172 and SPA173 in 2008, there is a Mirage 2000 with 2 blue pilot faces on its rudder.
For the 100th anniversary of the death of legendary French WWI pilot George Guynemer, there is a Mirage 2000 with a camouflage of sand and green, with red, white and blue stripes across the wing, continuing up the rudder, with a black bird in fight on the rudder and a large black number 2 on its spine.
This is one great color photo album about the Mirage 2000. It will be of great interest to modelers and aircraft historians alike.
Highly recommended.
I want to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the North American distributor of HMH books and all their titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
The Dassault Mirage 2000 is a French multirole, single-engine fourth-generation jet fighter manufactured by Dassault Aviation. It was designed in the late 1970s as a lightweight fighter to replace the Mirage III for the French Air Force (Armée de l'Air).
The Mirage 2000 evolved into a multirole aircraft with several variants developed, with sales to a number of nations. It was later developed into the Mirage 2000N and 2000D strike variants, the improved Mirage 2000-5 and several export variants.
Over 600 aircraft were built and it has been in service with nine nations.
The SNECMA M53 afterburning turbofan was developed for the ACF, and was available for the Mirage 2000 project. It is a single-shaft engine of modular construction that is relatively light and simple compared to those of the British or American designs.
The M53 consists of three low-pressure compressor stages, five high-pressure stages and two turbine stages. With the development program consisting of 20 engines, the M53 sans suffix was first bench tested in February 1970 and became airborne on a Caravelle testbed in July 1973.
Dassault conducted flight tests of the M53-2 version using its Mirage F1E testbeds starting in December 1974; this version produced 84 kilonewtons (19,000 lbf) in afterburner. The Mirage 2000 itself was powered by two versions of the M53—the M53-5, which equipped initial operational aircraft, was rated at 88 kN (20,000 lbf) of thrust with afterburner.
The definitive version of the engine, the M53-P2, which equipped the majority of the type, is rated at 65 kN (15,000 lbf) in dry thrust and 95 kN (21,000 lbf) in afterburner.
The Mirage 2000 is equipped with built-in twin DEFA 554 autocannon (now GIAT 30–550 F4) 30 mm revolver-type cannons with 125 rounds each. The cannons have selectable fire rates of 1,200 or 1,800 rounds per minute.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Multirole fighter
National origin: France
Manufacturer: Dassault Aviation
First flight: 10 March 1978[1]
Introduction to service: July 1984
Status: In service
Primary users: French Air Force, United Arab Emirates Air Force, Republic of China Air Force (Taiwan), Indian Air Force
Produced: 1978–2007
Number built: 601
Unit cost: $30.6 million
Variants: Dassault Mirage 2000N/2000D
Developed into: Dassault Mirage 4000
THE BOOK:
This book is soft-cover of 106 pages in 9 ½” x 9 ½” page format.
The cover art shows a color photo of a Mirage 2000D in flight and approaching the refueling line from a KC-130J aerial tanker of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit over Djibouti in November 2012.
The back cover shows two Mirage 2000's at sunset sitting on a runway.
There are 271 color photos in the book. (counting the 2 covers).
Photos show Mirage 2000’s in flight, on the ground and having maintenance done on them.
198 photos are of the walk-around type. They show cockpit interiors and seats, landing gear, drop tanks, engines and a pilot’s helmet with a oxygen mask.
There are special paint schemes shown that were used at the Tiger Meet.
One is all black with a grey nose and a white fuselage stripe outlined in orange and a tiger head on the rudder.
A second one at the Tiger Meet was overall grey with yellow bands across the wings, fuselage and rudder.
A third one at the Meet had a white tiger on the fuselage sides and large yellow curls on top of the wings and on the rudder sides.
A fourth one with 2 shades of grey camouflage, with a red and black rudder with a white tiger face on it.
A fifth all black one with a indian face wearing a feathered headdress on the rudder.
A sixth one with 2 shades of grey camouflage and a wasp on its rudder.
A seventh one that is overall grey with yellow tiger stripes on the fuselage sides and tops of the wings and a tiger face on the rudder.
For the 90th anniversary of SPA172 and SPA173 in 2008, there is a Mirage 2000 with 2 blue pilot faces on its rudder.
For the 100th anniversary of the death of legendary French WWI pilot George Guynemer, there is a Mirage 2000 with a camouflage of sand and green, with red, white and blue stripes across the wing, continuing up the rudder, with a black bird in fight on the rudder and a large black number 2 on its spine.
This is one great color photo album about the Mirage 2000. It will be of great interest to modelers and aircraft historians alike.
Highly recommended.
I want to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. Casemate is the North American distributor of HMH books and all their titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at: