As a life-long aviation enthusiast, I am sure that I share many recognisable traits with my fellow Flying Tigers Newsletter readers. Although we all have our favourite aircraft, which if pressed, would always be at the head of our personal lists, we also have our reserve list and a number of guilty pleasures (steady on, I am still talking aviation here!). One of the aircraft which is unashamedly one of my guilty pleasures is the handsome Dassault Mirage F.1 – an aircraft that possesses Gallic Flair by the bucket load. As with so many jet aircraft of my formative years, the Mirage F.1 has now been withdrawn from service and sights like the one above, which was taken in the static park at RIAT 2013, could very well be a thing of the past. Lets take a closer look at this French Air Force classic.
Without doubt, the French Dassault company have to be regarded as one of the most significant aircraft manufacturers since the end of the Second World War. Producing a multitude of jet designs which saw extensive service with both French Air Arms and numerous overseas operators, their aircraft had a reputation for reliability and cost effective operation, which saw them adopted by many Middle Eastern and African Air Forces. Allowing my personal preferences to take over for just a moment, of all the Dassault types produced, the Mirage F.1 is by far the most enigmatic – a real stunner, in my opinion. The Dassault Mirage F.1 was designed as a private venture, along side the larger two seat Mirage F.2, which was being developed for the French Air Force and was a break in the more common low delta-winged designs favoured by this manufacturer. It had a high mounted, swept wing, with conventional tail configuration and although it had a much smaller wing area than the delta Mirage III, it outclassed its older brother in a number of significant areas. Able to carry an astonishing 43 percent more fuel than the Mirage III, it was also more manoeuvrable than its predecessor, with much better short field capability.
The Mirage F.1 entered French Air Force service in December 1973, with EC 2/30 Normandie-Niemen squadron, based at Reims, in Northern France. Initially operated as an all-weather interceptor fighter, the Mirage F.1 proved itself not only to be an extremely capable aircraft, but also a highly adaptable one – during its service life, it would be used in a number of different roles. Air superiority fighter, strike/ground attack, anti-shipping strike and reconnaissance roles were all undertaken by the reliable Mirage F.1, which significantly enhanced the aircrafts export appeal. It managed to do this in a reliable and cost effective manner, leading to the F.1 being adopted by more than a dozen overseas operators, including Greece, Spain, South Africa, Libya and Morocco, with around 720 machines being produced. Powered by a single SNECMA Atar turbojet, the Mirage F.1 was also a very spritely performer and even though it possessed excellent short field capabilities, it could reach speeds in excess of Mach 2.2 – this relatively cost effective aircraft was certainly no second rate performer!
The Mirage F.1 goes to war – but retirement looms
The first overseas operational deployment for the Mirage F.1 was to challenge increasing Libyan air incursions into Chad, where they would be charged with providing top cover for ground attack Jaguar strike aircraft – over the years, this would become a regular deployment for the type. Following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, F.1s were deployed to both Qatar and Saudi Arabia, where they would again provide top cover for French Jaguars, but would also be used in a high speed reconnaissance role. Interestingly, during the first few days of the conflict, the Mirage F.1s were actually grounded, to avoid being shot down by friendly fire – the Iraqi Air Force also operated the F.1, which could have been extremely problematic. By the end of hostilities, some 114 sorties had been flown.
In the following years, deployments were made to Turkey and Africa again, along with the usual extensive operations in France itself. The second Gulf War brought another overseas deployment, as Mirage F.1s operated from Kandahar Air Base, flying close air support and tactical reconnaissance missions over Southern Afghanistan, but by this time, French Mirage F.1 units had already begun the wind down to service withdrawal. Despite its age and the emergence of the new Rafale fighter, the Mirage F.1 was still a spritely performer and much loved by the Airshow enthusiast. Very rarely seen at UK Airshows, F.1 displays were so spectacular, that many enthusiasts were lured to the continent, in order to get their fix of this magnificent aircraft, which really does seem so much more interesting than the aircraft it is being replaced with. The last French Air Force unit to operate the Mirage F.1 was the Escadron de reconnaissance 2/33 ‘Savoie’, based at Mont-de-Marsan, who had the honour and distinction of being the final custodians of this beautiful aeroplane. Its final ceremonial French Air Force flight was as part of this years Bastille Day celebrations, on 14th July before the magnificent Mirage F.1 was sent for short term storage and eventual disposal – with an aircraft of this magnitude and undeniable good looks, hopefully an organisation will look to preserve one in airworthy condition, so that we could once again see the Mirage F.1 in the sky. It had served the French Air Force with distinction for 40 years, leaving behind many fond memories for those lucky enough to work with them. The type does still continue to fly with the air forces of Morocco, Libya and Gabon, but unfortunately, the UK enthusiast is unlikely to clap eyes on any of these.
A die-cast example of the Mirage F.1
Many readers of a similar age to myself, will remember with some fondness the beautiful artwork adorning the box of the Airfix Mirage F.1 model kit of our formative years. Showing a South African Air Force aircraft engaged in a rather dramatic bombing run, it is hardly surprising that this model found its way into my collection and sparked a real interest in this handsome aircraft. I was therefore extremely interested when FALCON MODELS announced their intention to produce the Mirage F.1, as this is definitely one of my favourite jet aircraft and this was the first time that it had appeared in die-cast. What this new company managed to produce was rather impressive and I have to own up to having most of their F.1 releases in my collection – they are beauties! Sadly, recent developments have dictated that these models may now be extremely sought after in the future, as Falcon have announced that they are ceasing production, with no current intention to revive the brand in the future – a really unfortunate development and one which seems to be all too familiar in our hobby at the moment. We only currently have stock of 4 different Falcon Dassault Mirage F.1 models available and these are now very low in number – in view of the production development we discussed earlier, this could be your one and only opportunity to secure one of these magnificent models. It is not all bad news though, as we have a rather spectacular Falcon Models offer for our Newsletter readers this weekend.
FALCON MODELS – BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE OFFER – ONLY WHILST CURRENT STOCKS LAST!
The Falcon Models range has been very well received, since it arrived in our hobby some years ago. The popularity of the range has specifically centred around their decision to produce a number of models which were appearing in the die-cast aviation collecting hobby for the first time. Starting off with the Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star and Grumman F9F Panther, Falcon spotted a gap in the market and fully exploited it, which is rather impressive for a fledgling manufacturing company. Some classic Dassault designs were to follow, including the significant Mirage III and the beautifully enigmatic Mirage F.1, as jet aviation subjects were the company’s subjects of choice – indeed, the only propellor powered aircraft we have seen in the range is the Fieseler Storch reconnaissance and communications aircraft. It is extremely unfortunate that the range will no longer be produced, as some significant model types will now be take off the market, but in order to ease this pain, we have a really special offer for you this weekend – Buy one, get one FREE on all our remaining Falcon Models stock! This is a really fantastic opportunity for our collectors to fill any gaps in their model collections, before the Falcon range disappears for good and we expect trade to be brisk right from the outset. As stock levels are now quite low on most models, please be quick with this fantastic offer, as I am sure that some will unfortunately be disappointed. Where models have sold out (towards the end of the weekend), we will endeavour to offer alternative models wherever possible, but in order to ensure that you secure the models that you want, you really need to place your order quickly. From a logistics point of view, the only way that we can administer this offer is as follows – If you place your order on the website as usual, your basket will show ALL the models that you have ordered and will make a charge accordingly. This is important for us, as the system needs to be able to accurately calculate a shipping price for overseas orders, even though it will generate an incorrect purchase price. The Buy one, get one FREE offer will take the lowest priced Falcon model as the free item and we will reduce the total purchase price of the order by this amount at the time we process the order. Customers using the usual SagePay system will have only the correct, reduced order price requested at the time of processing, with correctly produced invoice to support the order. Collectors wishing to pay using PayPal will have the price of the free model(s) refunded to their account at the time of processing your order.
Any problems, or if you require any further information, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us. I will leave you with one final picture for this week, which illustrates one of the other magnificent Falcon models, which is available on this weekends fantastic offer – the magnificent South African Air Force Museum Historic Flight Mirage IIICZ 800 ‘Black Widow’. This spectacular looking aircraft, which is coded ZU-DME, commemorates the Mirage III in South African service and is believed to be the last airworthy ‘C’ Series Mirage III in the world. It also has to be one of the most distinctive looking model aircraft to grace any die-cast collection and is a credit to the now defunct Falcon Aviation range – enjoy!