The Mirage-2000 - One of the Indian Air Force's most versatile and deadliest Aircraft

The Mirage-2000 is undoubtedly one of the Indian Air Force's (IAF) most versatile and deadliest aircraft and it was first commissioned in 1985. Soon after inducting the Mirage, IAF gave it the name – Vajra – meaning lightening thunderbolt in Sanskrit. It was developed by Dassault Aviation and took its first flight in 1978 and was inducted in the French Air Force in 1984. India had placed an initial order of 36 single-seater Mirage-2000 and 4 twin-seater Mirage 2000 in 1982 as an answer to Pakistan buying US-made F-16 fighter jets by Lockheed Martin.

The Mirage-2000 played a decisive role in the 1999 war of Kargil and turned it in India’s favour.

Seeing the success of the jets, the government placed an additional order of 10 Mirage-2000 planes in 2004, taking the total tally to 50 jets. Then in 2011 a contract was signed to upgrade the existing Mirage-2000 jets to Mirage 2000-5 Mk, increasing the life of the jets that are now ready to serve till 2030. Dassault built an estimated 580 Mirage-2000s over a course of 30 years before replacing it with the Rafale MMC jets.

Things you should know about Mirage-2000

1 - In today's airstrikes by the Mirage jets, the Israel-manufactured Spice/Crystal Maze long-range bombs flattened the terror infrastructure at Balakot, which was used for "advanced terror training".

2 - The Mirage 2000 has delta-shaped wings, similar to the French-made Rafale and even India's home-made Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas. One of the advantages of this design is that its wings have a large surface area, giving it better lift in low speed, and good manoeuvrability and stability in high speed.

3 - In 2011-2012, India signed a Rs. 17,547 crore deal (inclusive of new weapons) with France to transform the capabilities of the Mirage 2000.

4 - Two Mirage 2000 were upgraded by Dassault Aviation SA, the French manufacturer of the fighter, in France while the remaining 47 fighters are being upgraded by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) in Bengaluru.

5 - The IAF in 1999 had just a handful of laser-guided bombs, and it didn't have the kit to ensure that the bombs would hit high-altitude targets with pin-point precision. Using a combination of modified laser-guided bombs (and unguided 'dumb bombs') mated to Israeli Litening laser targeting pods, the IAF's Mirage 2000 became instruments of death.

6 - The Mirage 2000 was inducted into the IAF in 1985. The 'new' Mirage 2000, redesignated the Mirage 2000 I, is almost incomparable with the original jet due to the host of new systems onboard and the upgrades it has received.

7 - The new weapons the upgraded Mirage 2000 can carry include MICA air-to-air missile, which can engage targets at beyond visual ranges and also at close ranges - one missile for two jobs. In January 2012, the government had signed a $1.23 billion contract with the French firm MBDA for the supply of 450 MICA missiles.

8 - For decades, the IAF has sworn by the capabilities of its Mirage 2000, the only real multi-role counter to the Pakistan Air Force's F-16s provided by the US. With the upgrades, the Mirage 2000 is good to go for another 30 years.

9 - The upgraded Mirage 2000 has the Thales RDY 2 radar, which allows for very long-range engagement of targets in the air and the ability to track and engage targets which are moving on the ground, among other capabilities.

10 - Mirage 2000 pilots are equipped with a display inside their helmet, which is able to see superimposed radar data without having to reference any of the displays inside the cockpit. This means a pilot can direct weapons by merely pointing their head instead of manoeuvring the entire jet in the direction of the target.

Jai Hind… Be proud to be an Indian

Credit - NDTV.Com and news18.com