Dassault Mirage III

Dassault Aviation · France · first flew 1956 · fighter

The Dassault Mirage III is a French single-engine tailless delta-wing fighter, the first Western European aircraft to reach Mach 2 in level flight.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, delta
E — Engines	1 × turbojet, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	15.03 m fuselage
T — Tail	No tailplane

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Pure tailless delta wing
Single fin, no tailplane
Conical shock-cone intakes

Identify the clean triangular delta with no horizontal tail, a single swept fin and the distinctive conical centrebodies in the air intakes.

Specifications

The Dassault Mirage III has a length of 15.03 m (49 ft).
It has a wingspan of 8.22 m (27 ft).
Its maximum speed is 2350 km/h (1460 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

First flown in November 1956, the Mirage III used a slender delta planform and an Atar turbojet with half-cone adjustable intakes. It became one of the great export successes of the Cold War, serving with more than twenty air forces across six continents.

Variants

Key versions include the IIIC interceptor, the multirole IIIE, the IIIR reconnaissance aircraft and the two-seat IIIB/D trainers. The simplified Mirage 5 and the later Mirage 50 grew directly from the same airframe.

Where you'll see it

Although a French and export aircraft rather than an RAF type, Mirage IIIs saw heavy combat with Israel, South Africa, Argentina, Pakistan and others. Examples are preserved in museums worldwide, and several airworthy Mirage IIIs appear on the European and UK airshow circuit including visits to RIAT Fairford.

Related aircraft

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