Air Power Series>1:72 die-cast display model>Mirage 2000>HA1602
Mirage 2000C 5-OP/74, Desert Storm "Daguet Operation", 1991
General Background
France’s participation in Desert Storm was called “Operation Daguet (French for Brocket Deer). The French were responsible for the left flank as Coalition Forces worked their way into Kuwait to drive the Iraqi invaders out of the country. Along with Mirage 2000Cs France supplied transport aircraft refueling planes ground attack aircraft as well as Army and Navy personnel and other materiel. Even after Desert Storm ended France continued to participate in activities in the region.
The Aircraft
One of the many aircraft France supplied for Desert Storm in 1991 was the Mirage 2000C 5-OP/74 from EC (fighter wing) 2/5 "Ile de France". The 5-O is the visual designator for the 2/5 "Ile de France" who only received their Mirage 2000Cs in 1989. The squadron was based at Al Ahsa in Saudi Arabia for Desert Storm and in September 1992 they moved to Dhahran in Saudi Arabia as part of operation "Alysse" in south-west Iraq. Later they joined "Southern Watch" to help enforce the no-fly zone in southern Iraq.
Specifications :
Type: |
Mirage 2000C |
| Function: | fighter |
| First flight: | 1978 |
| Crew: | 1 |
| Engines: | (1) SNECMA M53-P2 afterburning turbofan |
| Thrust: | 14,462 lb (64.3 kN) |
| 21,385 lb (95.1 kN) with afterburner | |
Length: |
47.10 ft (14.36 m) |
| Height: | 17.02 ft (5.20 m) |
| Wing Area: | 441 ft2 (41.98 m2) |
| Wingspan: | 29.96 ft (9.13 m) |
| Empty Weight: | 16,534 lb (7,500 kg) Max.Weight: 17000 kg |
| Normal take-off weight: | 20,944 lb (9,500 kg) [fighter mission] |
| Max take-off weight: | 37,480 lb (17,000 kg) |
| Max payload: | 13,890 lb (6,300 kg) |
| Speed: | at altitude: 1,455 mph (2,340 km/h) at 36,090 ft (11,000 m), Mach 2.2 [sustained] |
| 1,550 mph (2,495 km/h), Mach 2.35 [dash] | |
| at sea level: 915 mph (1,470 km/h), Mach 1.2 | |
| Initial rate of climb: | 55,971 ft (17,076 m) / min |
| Service ceiling: | 54,000ft (16,460m) |
| Range: | typical: 380 nm (700 km) |
| ferry: 2,000 nm (3,704 km) | |
| Armament: | (2) 30-mm DEFA 554 cannons (125 rds ea) |
| External hard-points: | 9 |
| Air-to-Air Missile: | Matra Super 530, Matra 550 Magic, MICA |
| Air-to-Surface Missile: | AS.37, AS.39 Exocet, Wasp, ASMP cruise missile, AS30/ARMAT ARM |
| Bombs: | BAP 100, Durandal, BGL 1000 laser-guided, 250/400 kg GP, cluster bombs |
| Other: | ECM pods, rocket pods |
| Unit cost: | 23 million USD |
| Variants: | 14 |
| Known operators: | France (380) |
| Abu Dhabi (36) | |
| Egypt (20) | |
| Greece (40) | |
| India (49) | |
| Jordan | |
| Peru (12) | |
| Qatar (12) | |
| Taiwan (60) | |
| United Arab Emirates (30) |