The Dassault Mirage F1 was designed to replace the successful Dassault Mirage III series. With a host of new features added to this new aircraft, the Mirage F1 would be a substantial upgrade to the whole Mirage family that would continue in service well into the new millennium. The Mirage F1 was built with capability and a multi-role perspective in mind. The aircraft was designed for high-speed handling with low or high-altitude performance, multi-faceted capabilities in the fighter or strike aircraft role and provide the pilot with some minor conveniences for long sorties requiring short turnaround times. The Mirage F1 served with distinction, particularly in the Greek Hellenic Air Force, where her arrival proved a deterrent to Turkish air space incursions for some 28 years. Over 720 Mirage F1 examples have been produced. The F1 remains one of the most battle-tested aircraft systems of the Cold War.
The F1 first flew in a Dassault-funded prototype form on December 23rd, 1966, intended as a replacement for the aging Mirage III and Mirage 5 models. Unlike previous Dassault offerings, the F1 did away with the traditional low-mounted, delta-wing configuration and instead was fitted with a high-mounted, swept wing arrangement. The French Air Force liked what it saw in the promising design and selected it for further development in the form of additional prototypes in May of 1967. The French Air Force envisioned the type as an all-weather interceptor capable of handling any of the new generation threats available. The resulting design proved a far better product than the aircraft the F1 was intended on replacing, sporting high-performance, sleek lines and a powerful Cyrano radar system. Production inevitably commenced and full operational status was achieved in May 1973.
The single engine, high-mounted swept-wing aircraft was powered by a single SNECMA Atar 9K-50 afterburning turbojet 15,785lb engine fed by two side-mounted intakes. The F1 sported a single-seat cockpit positioned in the forward portion of the streamlined fuselage. Amenities such as a self-starter, shaded canopy glass and pressured refueling system provided operators of the aircraft with the advantage of a low maintenance, highly capable aircraft. Further developments (beginning with the Mirage F1C-200) went on to integrate an in-flight refueling probe to which the combat radius was increased substantially. The unique high-mounted swept-wing design coupled with the single vertical tail fin afforded the aircraft the ability to take off and land with a minimal use of runway.
Standard armament were twin 30mm cannons along with 2 x Matra R530 series medium-range air-to-air missiles. Missiles were initially held under the wings though wingtip rails were later added for the use of Matra R550 Magic and AIM-9 Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missiles, the latter at the behest of the American-friendly Hellenic Air Force of Greece (operating Mirage F1CG models of their own).
The aircraft became a highly regarded interceptor - one of the best at the time of its inception - based on capabilities and its powerful nose-mounted radar. The system could track and engage multiple targets at any altitude all at the discretion of the pilot. The integrated weapon system could go so far as to select the appropriate weapon based on circumstance and fire the weapon when the target achieved an in optimal range.
In terms of combat exposure (the sure testing grounds of any aircraft design) the F1 was at the fore-front of several Cold War-era conflicts the world over. Mirages participated with the South African Air Force in their Border War. Morocco utilized the type to combat local rebels. Ecuador fielded the aircraft in their Paquisha War and follow-up Cenepa War against Peru. France got a chance to check out the F1's lethality in its actions against Libyan rebels operating against Chad. Spain operated their F1's in varying forms for over three decades before replacing them with Eurofighter Typhoons.
Iraq was a highly-publicized user of F1's. They sported the type in their war with Iran with moderate success in anti-shipping, interception and strike roles. Overall, inferior pilot training and lack of combat experience led to the F1 underachieving for the most part. Similarly in the 1991 Gulf War, Mirage F1's were wholly outclassed by Coalition forces, though, again not due to a lack of capability on the part of the aircraft.
More recently (2007), France has fielded some F1's in actions covering Southern Afghanistan. As of this writing, Greece, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar and South Africa no longer employ the services of Mirage F1's.
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November 2019 - Mirage F1s have seen extended service lives as a stock have been refurbished back to flying shape to serve the United States Air Force as commercially-owned/-operated aggressor (opposition) aircraft.
Ecuador (former); France (former); Gabon; Greece (former); Iran; Iraq (former); Jordan (former); Kuwait (former); Libya (former); Morocco; Spain; Greece; Qatar (former); South Africa; Spain (former); United States (aggressor training)
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
✓Air-to-Air Combat, Fighter
General ability to actively engage other aircraft of similar form and function, typically through guns, missiles, and/or aerial rockets.
✓Interception
Ability to intercept inbound aerial threats by way of high-performance, typically speed and rate-of-climb.
Length
50.2 ft (15.30 m)
Width/Span
27.6 ft (8.40 m)
Height
14.8 ft (4.50 m)
Empty Wgt
16,314 lb (7,400 kg)
MTOW
35,715 lb (16,200 kg)
Wgt Diff
+19,401 lb (+8,800 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Dassault Mirage F1 production variant)
monoplane / shoulder-mounted / swept-back
Monoplane
Design utilizes a single primary wing mainplane; this represents the most popular modern mainplane arrangement.
Shoulder-Mounted
Mainplanes are mounted at the upper section of the fuselage, generally at the imaginary line intersecting the pilot's shoulders.
Swept-Back
The planform features wing sweep back along the leading edges of the mainplane, promoting higher operating speeds.
(Structural descriptors pertain to the base Dassault Mirage F1 production variant)
Installed:
1 x SNECMA Atar 9K-50 afterburning turbojet engine developing 15,785lb of thrust.
(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Dassault Mirage F1 production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)
STANDARD:
2 x 30mm DEFA internal automatic cannons.
Mission-specific ordnance can include any of the following limited up to 8,818lb:
(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
Hardpoint Mountings: 7 (including wingtip mounts)
Mounting Points
15
-
-
-
-
5
-
1
-
4
-
-
-
-
14
HARDPOINT(S) KEY:
X
15
13
11
9
7
5
3
1
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
COLOR KEY:
Fuselage Centerline
Fuselage Port/Wingroot
Fuselage Starboard/Wingroot
Wing/Underwing
Wingtip Mount(s)
Internal Bay(s)
Not Used
Note: Diagram above does not take into account inline hardpoints (mounting positions seated one-behind-the-other).
F1 - Base Model Series Designation
F2 - Two-Seat Strike Fighter; program eventually cancelled in first year of side-by-side development with the F1.
F1A - Clear-Weather Ground Attack Production Model.
F1AD - Libyan Export Model of the F1A
F1AZ - South African Export Model of the F1A; ground attack version.
F1B - Two-Seat Conversion Trainer
F1BE - Spanish Export Model of the F1B
F1BJ - Greece Export Model of the F1B
F1BK - Kuwaiti Export Model of the F1B
F1BK-2 - Follow-up Kuwaiti Export Models of the F1B.
F1BQ - Iraqi Export Model of the F1B.
F1C - All-Weather Multi-role Interceptor with Strike Capabilities.
F1CE - Spanish Export Model of the F1C
F1CG - Greece Export Model of the F1C; 4 x AIM-9P capability.
F1CH - Morocco Export Model of the F1C
F1CJ - Jordanian Export Model of the F1C
F1CK - Kuwaiti Export Model of the F1C
F1CT - F1C-200 Models that have been updated to F1E standard; tactical ground attack.
F1CZ - South African Export Model of the F1C; radar-equipped.
F1C-200 - Long-Range Model of the F1C model; fixed refueling probe; extended fuselage.
F1CR-200 - Long-Range Reconnaissance Model.
F1D - Two-Seat Conversion Trainer
F1JE - Ecuador Export Model of the F1D
F1DD - Libyan Export Model of the F1D
F1DDA - Qatar Export Model of the F1D
F1E - Single Seat Multi-Role / Ground Attack Model for export.
F1ED - Libyan Export Model of the F1E
F1EE - Spanish Export Model of the F1E
F1EH - Morocco Export Model of the F1E
F1EH-200 - Morocco Export Model of the F1E; refueling probe.
F1EJ - Jordanian Export Model of the F1E
F1EQ - Iraqi Export Model of the F1E
F1EQ-2 - Iraqi Export Model of the F1E; air defense version.
F1EQ-4 - Iraqi Export Model of the F1E - Multi-role / Ground Attack / Reconnaissance version.
F1EQ-5 - Iraqi Export Model of the F1E; anti-ship version.
F1EQ-6 - Iraqi Export Model of the F1E; anti-ship version.
F1EDA - Qatar Export Model of the F1E
F1JA - Ecuadorian Export Model of the F1E
Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.
Images Gallery
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Low angled right underside view of a Dassault Mirage F1 in flight; color
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Front left side view of a Dassault Mirage F1 at rest; color
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Perfect underside view of a passing Dassault Mirage F1 in flight; color
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Front left side close-up view of the intake, wingroot and vertical tail fin on a Dassault Mirage F1 at rest; color
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Close-up detail view of the canopy and intake of a Dassault Mirage F1; color
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High-angled right side top view of a Dassault Mirage F1 in flight; color
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Front underside view of an incoming Dassault Mirage F1; color
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Extreme front right side view of a Dassault Mirage F1 at rest; color
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High-angled left side view of a taxiing Dassault Mirage F1; color
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Rear right side view of a Dassault Mirage F1 in flight
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High-angled left side view of a Dassault Mirage F1 in flight; color
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High-angled left side views of a pair of Dassault Mirage F1s in flight; color
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Left side view of a banking Dassault Mirage F1 in flight over the desert; color
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High-angled right side rear view of a Dassault Mirage F1 in flight; color
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High-angled left side rear view of a Dassault Mirage F1 in flight; color
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Ecuador (former); France (former); Gabon; Greece (former); Iran; Iraq (former); Jordan (former); Kuwait (former); Libya (former); Morocco; Spain; Greece; Qatar (former); South Africa; Spain (former); United States (aggressor training)
