A look back at the development of Dassault Aviation’s phenomenal combat aircraft, whose capabilities were undoubtedly too far ahead of its time. An unfinished dream...
A look back at the development of Dassault Aviation’s phenomenal combat aircraft, whose capabilities were undoubtedly too far ahead of its time. An unfinished dream…
In March 1979, one year after the Mirage 2000 was unveiled, the Super Mirage 4000 took to the skies for the first time and confirmed its potential by reaching Mach 2 in under four minutes. Launched at the personal initiative of Marcel Dassault, the fighter aircraft was the last to be financed by the manufacturer’s personal funds.
Initially seen as a successor to the Mirage IV, it was soon available for export in a fighter-bomber version, with Saudi Arabia and Iran showing a keen interest in its capabilities, which were truly extraordinary for the period.
With the support of engineers and pilots from that time period, but also a wealth of illustrations, Alexis Rocher reflects on this epic undertaking that was short-lived. He takes readers on a journey, giving them a front-row seat to the talks and negotiations preceding the aircraft’s development, but also those that led to the project being abandoned in the late 1980s… to make way for a tactical combat aircraft project aiming to succeed the Jaguar: which would become the Rafale project!
For those who would like to admire the sleek lines of the Super Mirage 4000: only one of these aircraft is on display and it is at the National Air and Space Museum of France in Le Bourget.
Book. “Super Mirage 4000 – Le Rêve inachevé.” Author: Alexis Rocher. Éditions Skyshelf.
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