Dassault Mirage 4000

The Dassault Mirage 4000 is a French prototype twinjet fighter aircraft developed by Dassault-Breguet from their Mirage 2000.

Design and development

The Mirage 4000 was noticeably larger and heavier than the single-engined Mirage 2000, the 4000 having two SNECMA M53-2 turbofans. It also featured small canards above the engine air intakes and a true bubble canopy, compared to the Mirage 2000 and previous Mirages. Despite the changes, the two aircraft remained similar, sharing the delta wing design, semi-conical Oswatitsch-type air intakes, and general configuration.
The Mirage 4000 first flew on 9 March 1979. It was financed as a private venture by Dassault. The Mirage 4000 was comparable in size to the United States F-15 Eagle, and was designed to be both a long-range interceptor and a fighter-bomber.
In the early 1980s, Dassault ended the program shortly after the Royal Saudi Air Force ordered a large number of Panavia Tornado aircraft. Iran had been lost as a potential customer after the Iranian Revolution in 1979. The French Air Force preferred to concentrate on the Mirage 2000, leaving Dassault with no customers. Some of the expertise thus gained would later influence the Dassault Rafale.
The prototype made a total of 336 flights, the last taking place on January 8, 1988.
The only prototype moved to its final residence at the Musée de l'air et de l'espace in November 1992.