List of Dassault Mirage III operators

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources:  –  ·  ·  · scholar · JSTOR (January 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Operators of the Mirage III and its domestic as well as foreign derivatives, including the Mirage 5

This is a list of Dassault Mirage IIIs, Dassault Mirage 5s, and Mirage 50s used by national air forces. The Central Intelligence Agency once estimated that a little over 800 of the three aircraft types had been exported to various countries around the world.^[1]

This is an approximate list. The key "1S" indicates a single-seat Mirage fighter, while "2S" indicates a two-seat Mirage, and "PR" indicates a photoreconnaissance aircraft.

Operators[]

This section includes a list of general references, but it remains largely unverified because it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this section by introducing more precise citations. (June 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Abu Dhabi and the UAE[]

Dassault Mirage IIIE, taxiway of Istres (France) on 3 July 1976, delivered to Abu Dhabi Air Force (ADAF).

Abu Dhabi Defence Force

United Arab Emirates Air Force

• 1S: 12 5AD + 14 5EAD
• 2S: 3 5DAD
• PR: 3 RAD
• Out of Service

Argentina[]

Argentina Air Force Dassault Mirage IIIEA

Argentine Air Force^[2]

• Single seaters: 19 IIICJ + 17 IIIEA
• Double seaters: 3 IIIBJ + 4 IIIDA
• Plus 35 IAI 1S Dagger-A + 4 IAI 2S Dagger-B. Survivors locally updated to Finger Standard.
• Plus 10 5P. Survivors (9) locally updated to Mara Standard.
• IIICJs & IIIBJs were ex-Israeli, 5Ps were ex-Peruvian. All was retired in December 2015.^[3]

Australia[]

A left side view of a Mirage IIID (bottom) and Mirage IIIO aircraft in flight during a combined US-Australian Air Force exercise, Pacific Consort, 1980

Royal Australian Air Force

116 Mirage IIIs (RAAF serial A3-1 to -116) were in service with the RAAF from 1964 to 1988.

• No. 3 Squadron RAAF
• No. 75 Squadron RAAF
• No. 76 Squadron RAAF
• No. 77 Squadron RAAF
• No. 79 Squadron RAAF
• No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit RAAF
• Aircraft Research and Development Unit
  • 1S: 49 IIIO(F) + 51 IIIO(A)
  • 2S: 16 IIID
  • Most built locally, all now sold to Pakistan.

Belgium[]

Belgian Air Force

• 1S: 63 5BA
• 2S: 16 5BD
• PR: 27 5BR
• Minor upgrade performed on survivors in early 1990s, but all were then retired. Some transferred to Chile as Elkans.

Brazil[]

Mirage III D

Brazilian Air Force

• 1S: 16 IIIEBR + 6 IIIEBR-2
• 2S: 4 IIIDBR + 6 IIIDBR-2
• all IIDBR-2 & IIIEBR-2 were ex-AdA.
• Many assembled locally. Survivors upgraded with canards and so on in early 1990s. Last one retired in 2005

Chile[]

Chile Air Force Dassault (SABCA) Mirage 5MA Elkan

Chilean Air Force

• 1S: 6 50C + 8 50FC + 19 Elkans
• 2S: 3 50DC + 6 Elkans
• 50FC were upgraded by Dassault from AdA 5Fs and then updated by Enaer to Pantera standard. Elkans are ex Belgium Mirage 5.
• Some ex South Africa Cheetahs as spares.
• Retired on 31 December 2007^[4]

Colombia[]

Colombian Air Force

• 1S: 14 5COA Converted to 5COAM
• 2S: 2 5COD converted to 5CODM
• PR: 2 5COR Converted to 5COAM
• Most Colombian Mirages upgraded in early 1990s to improved Kfir standard.
• All retired in 2010.

Ecuador[]

Ecuadorian Air Force

Egypt[]

Two Egyptian Air Force Mirage fighter jets during the military exercise Bright Star 2009 in Egypt.

Egyptian Air Force

• 1S: 54 5SDE + 16 5E2
• 2S: 6 5SDD
• PR: 6 5SDR

France[]

French Mirage IIIR

French Air Force

• 1S: 95 IIIC + 183 IIIE + 58 5F
• 2S: 27 IIIB + 5 IIIB1 + 10 IIIB2(RV) + 20 IIIBE
• PR: 50 IIIR + 20 IIIRD

All aircraft retired.

Gabon[]

Gabon Air Force

• 1S: 3 5G + 2 5G-2
• 2S: 4 5DG
• Two surviving 5Gs were updated to 5G-2 spec.

Israel[]

A Mirage IIIC at the Israeli Air Force Museum

Israeli Air Force

• 101 Squadron
• 117 Squadron
• 119 Squadron
• 253 Squadron
• 254 Squadron
• 113 Squadron (Nesher only)

• 1S: 72 IIICJ
• 2S: 5 IIIBJ
• 2 Mirage IIIRJ photo reconnaissance aircraft
• IAI built 61 Nesher / Daggers, with 51 single-seaters and 10 two-seat Nesher-Ts;
• withdrawn from use. Many transferred to Argentina between 1979/83

Lebanon[]

Lebanese Air Force

• 1S: 10 IIIEL
• 2S: 2 IIIDL
• all aircraft sold to Pakistan in 2000^[5]

Libya[]

Libyan Air Force

• 1S: 53 5D + 32 5DE
• 2S: 15 5DD
• PR: 10 5DR
• Most of them sold to Pakistan as part of Project ROSE

Pakistan[]

A Pakistani Air Force F-16 taxis past a Pakistan Air Force Mirage fighter jet on the runway at Pakistan Air Force Base Shahbaz near Jacobabad, Pakistan.

Pakistan Air Force

The Pakistan Air Force is the largest operator of the Dassault Mirage III/5 with a fleet strength of around 156 aircraft. The fleet consists of fighters built for Pakistan (Mirage IIIEP) in the 60s and 70s as well used French, Australian, Libyan and Lebanese aircraft bought in the 1990s and early 2000s. Some 35 of the ex-Australian Mirage III were modernised with new avionics under the first stage of the ROSE (Retrofit Of Strike Element) upgrade programme to make air superiority specialised "ROSE I" fighters.

• 1S: 18 IIIEP + 43 III(0) + 28 5PA + 28 5PA2 + 12 5PA3
• 2S: 5 IIIDP + 7 IIID + 2 5DPA2
• PR: 13 IIIRP
• The III(0) and IIID models were Australian-made and locally refurbished at the Mirage Rebuild Factory of Pakistan Aeronautical Complex.

All Mirage III/Mirage V aircraft are to be retired and replaced with the Pakistan/China produced JF-17 by 2025.

Pakistan Naval Air Arm

The Pakistan naval air arm operates more than 12 aircraft based at PNS Base Faisal.

Peru[]

Peruvian Air Force

• 1S: 22 5P + 10 5P3 + 2 5P4
• 2S: 4 5DP + 2 5DP3
• 10 5P transferred to Argentina and rest upgraded.
• Survivors stored by 2005.

South Africa[]

South African IIICZ.

South African Air Force

• No. 2 Squadron SAAF
  • 1S: 16 IIICZ + 17 IIIEZ
  • 2S: 3 IIIBZ + 3 IIIDZ + 11 IIID2Z
  • PR: 4 IIIRZ + 4 IIIR2Z
• All out of service, some having been upgraded to Cheetah standard. There were about 16 Cheetah E conversions (all out of service); 38 Cheetah C conversions; 16 Cheetah D conversions; and one Cheetah R conversion (scrapped).
• Some Cheetahs E were sold to Chile for use as spare parts for Panteras.

Spain[]

Spanish Mirage III EE at valencia (Spain)

Spanish Air Force

• 1S: 24 IIIEE
• 2S: 6 IIIDE
• Upgrade plan (APQ-159 radar, HUD + 2xCRT, AYK-14 computer, new RWR, ALE-40 decoy launchers, AIM-9L/AGM-65G capability, four extra hardpoints) cancelled in 1991. Withdrawn from service in October 1992. The survivors were used as part of the payment for the Mirage F-1M upgrade and later sold to Pakistan.

Switzerland[]

Dassault Mirage IIIRS, R-2108, Swiss Air Force

Swiss Air Force

• 1S: 1 IIIC + 36 IIIS
• 2S: 4 IIIBS + 2 IIIDS
• PR: 18 IIIRS
• Most built locally, many upgraded with canards, optics etc. Withdrawn from service in 2003.
• one 2s still flies again for civilian discoveries

Venezuela[]

Venezuelan Air Force

• 1S: 7 IIIEV + 6 5V + 9 50EV
• 2S: 3 IIIDV + 1 50DV
• Retired from service in December 2009.

Zaire[]

Zairean Air Force

• 1S: 8 5M
• 2S: 3 5DM
• All sold to Egypt in the early 1990s.

See also[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dassault Mirage III.

• Dassault Mirage III

References[]