It be nice to see
6 Day War campaign
Or
Falklands War campaign
The confusion regarding Mirage variants can get pretty deep, and one has to look closely. I've always kept up wiht the IAF since I was a kid in 67, so I got into the details a bit. The first shot is not 6 day war (67), it's from the 73 Yom Kippur war. The Mirage is actually an Isreali built Dagger, which is a Mirage V. Look at the pointy nose, with the probe extending from the bottom of it. Also note what look to be Isreali Shrafir missles, basically an AIM-9J on steriods, a bit bigger wiht a larger warhead. Heat seekers still had to be used from the 6 oclock quarter back then, unlike the IR versions now that can lock on from any angle to the thermal signature of any plane; (The RN had this advantage over the Arg. AF) The Opponent appears to be a Fishbed D or J. The J had 2 23mm and 4 wing attachment points while the D could only carry a pair of Atolls, which were not quite up to AIM-9J standard.
The lower painting ironically shows the same AC, Argentine Daggers attacking RN destroyers in 82. Thier range limitations prevented them from defending themselves against the Sea Harriers, and was a distinct disadvantage in that war.
The Mirage V/Dagger had a much smaller shorter range radar compared to the III (compare the noses) and was optimized for visual dogfighting and had many stores stations for ordinance. They flew exlusively air to air in the 73 war it appears, with a large kill loss ratio over the Migs of all variants. A combination of pilot training/experience and effective missles contributed to that, though many kills were scored by the 30mm. The tale of how the IAF had to create its own planes after France emargoed the 50 Mirage Vs the IAF had ordered (and designed to their specs) sounds like a Tom Clancy novel, with the IAF "obtaining" the blueprints to the AC and the engine, then starting their own production line. MacDonald Douglass initially started making "spares" for the Mirage 3 (yeah, right
) until the isreali product was completed. I think they had about 70 Daggers and 40+ Mirage IIIs in Oct 73. The plane was kept secret, and I (a 15 yr old air combat enthusiast) noticed the Mirage V type nose in a great color photo I nabbed out of a Time magazine, of one rolling inverted at low altitude wiht the Pyramids in the background, and I knew that wasn't an M3; I kinda freaked a bit, and we had no internet back then for me to do any research. I wish I could find a quality copy of that clear shot. THEN the Isrealis developed the Kfir from it, with a J-79 engine (like F-4s used). Tremendous increase in performance, and now they have modified them to the C-10, C-12 version with modern GE engines and new nose sections with modern radar. (google it).
I digress a bit to illustrate 4 points;
1. The pilot's skill and training are the most important deciding factor, then
2.the weapons themselves, and circumstances. Argentinian Mirage/Dagger pilots didn't have enough fuel to dogfight at all in 82, and all they had were older rear aspect Sidewinders, so they suffered pretty badly to Sea Harriers armed wiht AIM-9L any aspect versions.
3. The circumstances; see above fuel limits combined with obsolete weapons.
4, You fly the aircraft to exploit its advantages, while recognizing its shortcomings compared to its adversary. Mirage can't turn with a Mig-17, but 17 can't outrun or outclimb the Mirage. And is the 17 armed with Atolls or what? Fly smart according to the situation, and you have a great machine in the Mirage series.
F-100s would be a serious opponent in a turning fight with a good pilot. 4S Vega makes good points in the context of this simulator and flying against humans and AI.
I point this out to emphasize the differences between variants, and the room for tremendous modifications and increases in performance. The opening photo in this post looks like a Mirage 50 wiht the canards. I'm done. You can breath again.
Author
Topic: Mirage III (Read 56842 times)
