Dassault Mirage IV

Supersonic Strategic Heavy Bomber Aircraft [ 1963 ]

The Dassault IV was a French-designed, nuclear-capable strategic bomber of the Cold War.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 05/18/2016 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

Image from the United States Department of Defense imagery database.

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The Dassault Mirage IV series was designed to a French requirement for a supersonic aircraft platform capable of delivering an atomic weapon. The resulting Mirage IV became just that, offering up Mach 2 capabilities and a ceiling of well over 65,000 feet. With the atomic bomb as a deterrent to Cold War invasion, the French military now would possess a capable aircraft of delivering such a lethal payload.

Design on the Mirage IV was derived fro the Mirage III development, detailed elsewhere on this site. The Mirage IV was larger than its predecessor and fitted with two powerplants instead of the traditional Dassault arrangement of a single engine. The aircraft would have to be capable of sustained high-level, high-speed flight with long range abilities. The first prototype IV, based on an abandoned twin-engine night fighter once in development, flew in 1959. Several pre-production aircraft would soon follow by 1961 as larger overall designs fitted with Atar 9C 14,110lb turbojet engines. It would be these preproduction models that would become the main Mirage IV production models in use.

The Mirage IV was of a basic delta-wing design with a single rudder at rear. The crew of two sat in tandem in the long and narrow fuselage. Wings were of the low-mounted monoplane type and the nuclear ordnance - when carried - sat in a recessed under-fuselage position. Power was provided by two SNECMA-brand engines with applicable reheat capability. At any rate, the sleek-looking Mirage IV was quick to provide high-speed results thanks to its overall design, dimensions and power.

The Mirage IV was ordered as the IVA model series. This system offered up a center-fuselage provision for a single An22 60-kiloton nuclear freefall bomb, to which 62 examples were produced. From this lot, 12 aircraft were set aside and reconfigured as the IVR strategic reconnaissance model with additional and specialized equipment. Additionally, 19 IVA models were converted to a "missile carrier" variant that allowed for the handling and firing of ASMP nuclear-tipped stand-off missile weapons in the low-level penetration combat role.

By the end of the Cold War, the need for such nuclear-capable systems was becoming less and less. As a result, the Mirage IVA's were disbanded from their nuclear strategic roles while only the Mirage IVR reconnaissance series stayed on to continue service with French forces. The Mirage IV nevertheless fulfilled a very vital role to the French people, offering up a nuclear deterrent through the later stages of the Cold War that would keep the Soviet Bloc at bay for decades.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1963

Origin

France

Crew

2

Production

62
UNITS

Dassault - France

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

France

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Ground Attack (Bombing, Strafing)
Ability to conduct aerial bombing of ground targets by way of (but not limited to) guns, bombs, missiles, rockets, and the like.

Length

77.1 ft
(23.50 m)

Width/Span

38.9 ft
(11.85 m)

Empty Wgt

31,967 lb
(14,500 kg)

MTOW

69,666 lb
(31,600 kg)

Wgt Diff

+37,699 lb
(+17,100 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the Dassault Mirage IVA production variant)

Installed: 2 x SNECMA Atar 09K turbojets with afterburner developing 15,432 lb.

Max Speed

1,320 mph
(2,124 kph | 1,147 kts)

Ceiling

65,617 ft
(20,000 m | 12 mi)

Range

994 mi
(1,600 km | 2,963 nm)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Dassault Mirage IVA 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)

1 x megaton nuclear bomb in recessed under-fuselage position.

Supported Types

Graphical image of an aircraft conventional drop bomb munition

Graphical image of an air-launched nuclear weapon

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

Hardpoint Mountings: 1

IV - Base Bomber Production Designation based on the Mirage II design; fitted with twin engines and provision for 60-kiloton AN22 freefall nuclear bomb.

IVA - Main Bomber Production Model of which 62 examples were completed.

IVR - Converted samples of IVA model for aerial strategic reconnaissance platforms; 12 such models converted from existing IVA's; Ct52 mission package.

IVP - Missile Carrier Model; converted from existing IVA models; 19 such examples; redesigned navigation/attack systems; improved electronic defense measures; provision for ASMP nuclear stand-off weapon.

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