Dassault Mirage 2000N Armee de l'air

Since the Mirage 2000 was proposed to the French government as an alternative to the ACF, which was a strategic strike aircraft, of course there was interest in developing a dedicated strategic strike variant. This variant was intended to carry the Aerospatiale "Air-Sol Moyenne Portee (ASMP)" nuclear stand-off missile, development of which began in 1978. The nuclear strike requirement materialized into an order in 1979 for two prototypes of a two-seat Mirage 2000 variant for this purpose, with a navigator / weapons system operator (WSO) occupying the back seat. The type was originally designated "Mirage 2000P", for "Penetration", but the designation was then changed to "Mirage 2000N", for "Nucleaire". Initial flight of the first of two prototypes, both new-build machines, was on 3 February 1983 with Michel Porta at the controls. The first flight of a production aircraft was in March 1986, and the type entered operational service in 1988. 75 were built. As it emerged, the Mirage 2000N was derived from and externally similar to the Mirage 2000B, with the M53-P2 engine, but the nuclear strike variant featured strengthened wings for low altitude operation, as well as low-level precision navigation-attack systems built around the Dassault / Thales "Antilope 5" radar, designed for the strike role and with terrain-avoidance capability. Cockpit layout was analogue, along the lines of that of the Mirage 2000B. The cockpit was night vision goggle (NVG) compatible. The Mirage 2000N also retained ULISS 52 INS, SERVAL RWR, and Spirale dispensers (early production had the Eclair dispenser instead). However, the SABRE jammer was replaced by the improved Chameleon jammer. Since the Mirage 2000N's standard weapon was the ASMP, which was carried on the centerline pylon, that meant it couldn't carry a centerline tank, but a distinctive big 2, 000 liter (530 US gallon) underwing drop tank with a bulbous nose was developed to more than compensate.