French adversary private contractor ready to invest in 4 M2K to provide additional red air service for the French forces:
Ares projette d’investir, en liaison avec le constructeur Dassault-Aviation, le motoriste Safran et l’équipementier Thales, dans la modernisation de sa flotte avec des Mirage 2000, avions de 4e génération, supersoniques équipés de radar, pour répondre et s’adapter avec le plus haut niveau de réalisme aux besoins d’entraînement opérationnel grandissants des Forces armées françaises & européennes », explique la société dans un communiqué de presse.
---------------------//------------------------
Ares plans to invest, in conjunction with the manufacturer Dassault-Aviation, the engine manufacturer Safran and the equipment supplier Thales, in the modernization of its fleet with Mirage 2000, 4th generation aircraft, supersonic equipped with radar, to respond and adapt with the highest level of realism to the growing operational training needs of the French & European Armed Forces, ”the company explains in a press release.

Obviously, now that there is not a single F-1 airframe left available for French contractors...
4 more years of the present administration and even the used Rafale won't be left.


 
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What happened to Apache aviation, incidentally ? did they went under ?
 
Offshore of Crimea, 2x M2KD (with ASTAC ESM/ELINT pods) + C135FR:

960x0.jpg

View: https://youtu.be/I9IY_3HC6Rg


ASTAC_Thales_dms_ECS_30092020_websitethumbnail700x465.jpg



 
Nice! Excellent visual explanation of why the target won't hear a thing until the rounds hit (or why people in even the general vicinity of the impact area hear the hits before the firing sound - I can vouch for that!).
 
Some clear footage of M2K straffing training targets:
 
M2K down over Mali (both pilots safe, one sustained injuries - no victim on the ground). Reported as a technical malfunction:


Slightly more details here (in Fr) :
 
The great aircraft Bazaar isn't over yet:

Out of the 24 fighters, 13 are in complete condition with engine and airframe intact with eight of them (nearly half a squadron) ready to fly after servicing. The remaining 11 fighters are partially complete but with fuel tanks and ejection seats, which will be scavenged to secure parts for IAF’s two existing squadrons of the fighter.
[...]
IAF has initialled a contract worth 27 million euros to buy the fighters, eight of which are in ready-to-fly condition, the people cited above added. That works out to a per-aircraft acquisition cost of 1.125 million euros. The people cited above said the aircraft will soon be shipped to India in containers.

 
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if the rumors are true and that India was once offered the M2K production line then passed it up..
might be one of the biggest mistakes for the IAF.

they had a known aircraft that has been one of the IAF's best performers, and they probably wouldnt need to wait on the Tejas.
 
@TomcatViP

You have to realize France very own Davis Monthan aircraft boneyard (Chateaudun air base) has been unceremoniously closed some years ago.
So the Armée de l'Air presently has no more boneyard to dump its old combat aircraft.
Hence: we must dump them at foreign countries, in a hurry. Hence the bargain prices... :p:p Also applies to Museums.

Imagine the mess when all 80 Tucanos bought only in 1994 were retired in 2009 at Chateaudun, stayed there gathering dust...and then the base closed. Mind you, some ended in Mauritania as spares for their Super Tucanos. Others have been dumped to Rochefort as canon fodder for aprentice mechanics.

And now its the Alphajets.

@helmutkohl I've heard of that story and such offer coming from Dassault - I'm not really surprised. Nor from India - I'm quite sure I've heard about similar story related to the Jaguar and other types...
 
The contract, signed by an MND procurement representative in Europe on Sept. 13, will remain valid for five years until Sept. 13, 2026. The document is only the latest in a series of agreements designed to keep the Mirage jets and the missiles up to date as they have been stationed in Hsinchu for 24 years.
 
Those Mirages may soon found themselves VERY busy... oh wait, they already are. With all those massive Chinese air force intrusions.
 
My understanding is that the ROCAF Mirage 2000s have struggled with serviceability and operational availability
 
More rumor reporting that older Greek M2K (BGM/EGM) could go to a private air adversary service company in France (albeit that would contradicts the fact that GrAF seems to have relied on them for the Exocet delivery mission) - in Fr:

 
M2K MKI upgrade seriously lagging behind schedule (and costly) :
The contract for the upgrade of 51 Mirage 2000s was signed in 2011. Sources say only about 50% upgrade has been completed & the programme will take another 2-3 years to finish.
[...]
[ Then-defence minister A.K. Antony] argued that if an escalation price of 3.5 per cent per annum is taken into account, the cost of the aircraft acquired in 2000 would come to Rs 195 crore in 2011, and hence, the upgrade cost was 85 per cent of the aircraft cost.
 
I'm wondering if its worth it to keep upgrading or just use the money to buy more Rafales instead?
is there any advantage the M2K has over the Rafales besides perhaps being cheaper to operate and better looking?
 
IMO it still stand as a better interceptor. Then, when it goes to A2G strike, the Rafale will certainly do as well or better.
 
IAF's Mirage-2000 crashes in Madhya Pradesh, pilot ejected safely:

An Indian Air Force Mirage 2000 crashed in a village in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhind on Thursday while on a training sortie and the pilot, who managed to eject safely before the crash, was being treated for minor injuries, a police officer said. Bhind police superintendent Manoj Kumar Singh said that Flight Lieutenant Abhilash took off from Gwalior Air Base in a Mirage 2000 aircraft at around 10 am before it crashed at Babedi village panchayat after covering a distance of 70 km . He added that the pilot soon landed safely using parachute in nearby Parasram Ka Pura village. An IAF Mirage 2000 aircraft experienced a technical malfunction during a training sortie in the central sector this morning. The pilot ejected safely. An Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident,” an Indian Air Force (IAF) tweet said. Police force has been deployed at the crash site to keep a crowd of curious onlookers. Watch this video for full details.

 
Drats. If Indian Mirage 2000s are headed the same way as their goddam MiG-21s in a recent past... soon there won't be even a single one standing.

Dear God. People are joking about German and non-German F-104s appaling crash rates; but the very unfortunate Indian pilots proved the vaunted MiG-21 could do as bad, if not worse.

How many Mig-21s India ever built, and how many crashed ? that was truly horrible.
 
Last M2KN retired from service (DGA):

Mis en service dans les forces aériennes stratégiques le 1er avril 1988 et retirés du service opérationnel en 2017, certains Mirage 2000N ont poursuivi leur carrière à DGA Essais en vol. Le M2000N n°356 était le tout dernier encore en service.

Les avions modifiés et instrumentés au sein de DGA Essais en vol sont utilisés au profit du développement de nouveaux standards ainsi que d’équipements et d’armements destinés à être intégrés sur Mirage 2000 ou sur Rafale. L’expertise technico-opérationnelle des experts de la DGA permet la spécification et la validation d’équipements répondant aux besoins opérationnels des forces.

Ce M2000N, au standard K3, disposait du potentiel suffisant pour réaliser quelques centaines d’heures de vol d’essais avant sa butée de maintenance. Il constituait une excellente transition jusqu’à l’arrivée prochaine des M2000D, plus modernes, dans le cadre du renouvellement de la flotte de chasseurs de DGA Essais en vol.
----------------**---------------------

Commissioned in the strategic air forces on April 1, 1988 and withdrawn from operational service in 2017, some Mirage 2000N continued their career at DGA Flight Test center. The M2000N n°356 was the very last one still in service.

Aircraft modified and instrumented within DGA Flight Testing are used for the development of new standards as well as equipment and armaments intended to be integrated on Mirage 2000 or Rafale. The technical and operational expertise of the DGA experts allows the specification and validation of equipment meeting the operational needs of the forces.

This M2000N was at the K3 standard and had sufficient potential to achieve a few hundred hours of test flight before its planned maintenance. It was an excellent mean to ensure a smooth transition until the upcoming arrival of the more modern M2000Ds, as part of the renewal of the DGA Flight Testing fighter fleet.

 
Another Taiwanese M2K crashed today:


Amid continued tensions between China and Taiwan, a Taiwanese Mirage-2000 fighter jet has crashed while the pilot ejected safely, according to the Taiwan Air Force.

The Taiwanese fighter jet disappeared from radar screens at 11:26 a.m., after it took off from eastern Taitung Air Base Taiwan for routine training earlier in the day, according to the Air Force.

Its sole pilot Lieutenant Colonel Huang Chung-kai was able to eject safely, the Air Force said, without providing any further details.


The air force said the French-built aircraft took off just after 10 a.m. (0200 GMT) on a training mission from the Chihhang air base in the southeastern city of Taitung and reported it had to return after a mechanical problem.

The pilot ejected over the sea south of the air base and was rescued safe and in good condition by helicopter, it added.

Air force Inspector-General Liu Hui-chien told reporters the Mirage fleet would be grounded while an investigation was carried out.


And put in context here:
 
Maybe 36 UAE Mirage 2000-9 for Greece


Automatic translation in English from Greek

Information indicates that our Air Force seems to have reached the acquisition of at least 36 "Delta wings" Mirage 2000-9 out of the total 64 currently available to the UAE Air Force, 49 of the EAD / RAD version and an additional 15 training aircraft of the DAD version.

Our Air Force is getting closer and closer to acquiring the most modern Mirage in the world. These are the upgraded Mirage 2000-9 which belong to the UAE Air Force and will according to plan be sold as the Arabs proceed to acquire 80 French Rafale fighters. Newpost is coming back with new information on the issue it had revealed two weeks ago.

The positive attitude of France and Emmanuel Macron seems to have already turned into a resounding "oui" with the French president giving the "green" light for the sale of the aircraft from the United Arab Emirates to Greece. Since the consent of the manufacturing country France is necessary in order to sell a French weapon system to a third country. The issue seems to have already been discussed at the highest political level, since the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has excellent relations with the French President, whom he saw recently.

Athens' decision to proceed with the acquisition of 24 Rafale fighters, three with an option for yet another Belharra frigates, as well as the open possibility - with great chances of a deal for the purchase of Gowind corvettes - seem to have played a decisive role in the French "yes". And it now makes Greece and our Air Force the big favorite to acquire through France the powerful "Delta wings" of the Emirati people. At a time when interest in the UAE's Mirage 2000-9 is said to have been expressed by both Egypt and Morocco, with Paris, however, demonstrating its support for Athens at every opportunity, with yesterday's macron statements about NATO's role in the Greco-Turkish crisis of 2020 indicative.

In the near future, developments are expected in the new large armament "deal" sought by Athens and the Greek Staff. Reports indicate that senior officials of the United Arab Emirates are going to visit Greece. And among other things, it is assumed that the issue of the acquisition of the Mirage 2000-9 by our Air Force will be put on the table.

Information indicates that our Air Force seems to have reached the acquisition of at least 36 "Delta wings" Mirage 2000-9 out of the total 64 currently available to the UAE Air Force, 49 of the EAD / RAD version and an additional 15 training aircraft of the DAD version.

The decision to sell the Mirage 2000-9 was taken by the Emirati when they recently entered into the impressive deal with the French Dassault to acquire 80 state-of-the-art Rafale. With the first gusts being picked up by Abu Dhabi in 2026 and then the concession of the Mirage 2000-9 begins. Athens, however, if it manages to close the deal, is expected to pressure the Arabs in order to start earlier the receipt of the first fighters, so that our Air Force can immediately raise the roof of its fleet of aircraft by including in its arsenal a modern fighter that can undertake multiple missions, starting with the defense of the Aegean. So as not to "wear out" but instead to help both the Rafale and the upgraded Vipers.
 
Here we go again... the Schrodinger / Heisenberg 2000-9s. Say my name...

Over the last decades they have been hypothetically dumped to a whole bunch of countries, Iraq included. Yet they have remained with the UAE AF whatever happened.

Will Greece be luckier ?
:D
 
Let's not forget that the UAE industry has developed a nice set of weapons that can find a market with such deal and pollinate past their own air force.
 
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Here we go again... the Schrodinger / Heisenberg 2000-9s. Say my name...

Over the last decades they have been hypothetically dumped to a whole bunch of countries, Iraq included. Yet they have remained with the UAE AF whatever happened.

Will Greece be luckier ?
:D
At those times, the UAE had not ordered 80 Rafales to replace them.

The future will answer.
 
Now (again) appearing in Morocco (gifted away):


Notice also that the French press is alarmingly full of fast jets oopsie (including identified M2K) with some seen low or fast where they should not be. Can be anything but could be the results of some foreign students training.
 
all the aircaft fanboys are now going to throw money at the Egyptian AF to conduct studies on Rafale vs Typhoon vs F-16 vs F-15 vs MiG-29 vs Su-35 and get the answers they finally been looking for

You'll not gona to believe this,during late 1980s,we made a training dogfight
between F-16 and Mirage-2000,and the Mirage-2000 did beaten it easy,and
the Mirage-2000 was demonstrated incredible two maneuverings,one of them
cleared by made a circles in radius less than 100 meters,and on altitude less
than 30 meters,can you imagine ?.
 
,and
the Mirage-2000 was demonstrated incredible two maneuverings,one of them
cleared by made a circles in radius less than 100 meters,and on altitude less
than 30 meters,can you imagine ?.
I can perfectly well imagine a delta wing fighter having a better instantaneous turn rate than an f16a, enough for one very tight circle.

You misunderstand me Totoro,

in dogfight,Mirage won easy,but in individual demonstration for it after
that show,it made impossible two maneuverings,and I explain one of them,
and may the radius was less than 80 meters,not 100 !,I saw it in our TV by
that time ?.
 
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