Dassault Variable Geometry: Mirage G / G4 /G8 family

Dear Boys and Girls, here is an editorial in French about the Avions Marcel Dassault Mirage G4 "project" and its prospects as a competitor to the (then) MRCA-75......

The article comes from the 1st October 1969 issue of Aviation Magazine International......

Terry (Caravellarella)
 

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Dear Boys and Girls, here are a couple of pieces in French about the Avions Marcel Dassault Mirage G prototype and the planned development of new variable-geometry aircraft......

The first piece comes from an article on variable-geometry in general......

The second piece mentions a SNECMA/Pratt & Whitney TF-306 turbofan-powered Mirage G2 "project" with a carrier-borne Mirage GM derivative "project". It also mentions ongoing development of the all-French twin SNECMA Atar 9K50 turbojet-powered Mirage G4 "project" and eventual use of the SNECMA M-53 single-shaft modular turbofan in the Mirage G4 (qv http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,12632.0.html )......

They come from the 15th May 1969 issue of Aviation Magazine International......

Terry (Caravellarella)
 

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Dear Boys and Girls, here is advertisement in French proclaiming the high speed and field performance of the Avions Marcel Dassault Mirage G prototype......

Note the Mirage G is fitted with a different tail-fin tip design in this advertisement. At some time during flight-testing, the tail-fin was changed. Would anyone when and why this happened please?

The advertisement comes from the 15th June/1st July 1968 issue of Aviation Magazine International......

Terry (Caravellarella)
 

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Dear Boys and Girls, here is an article in French about the Avions Marcel Dassault Mirage G4 "project" (iilustrated by pictures of the Mirage G prototype and the Mirage F1). The article is interesting because it expresses (at this early stage in the programme) concern at the likely unit cost and weight (the same as the Mirage IV jet bomber) of any production Mirage G4. It also explains why the twin-engine Mirage G4 design is preferable to the single engine design already tested (Mirage G)......

The article comes from the 1st November 1968 issue of Aviation Magazine International......

Terry (Caravellarella)
 

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Dear Boys and Girls, here is a picture of the Avions Marcel Dassault Mirage G prototype with its original shape tail-fin (together with a Mirage F1) used to illustrate a feature on 15 years of Mirages......

The pictures come from the 15th May 1969 issue of Aviation Magazine International......

Terry (Caravellarella)
 

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Dear Boys and Girls, here is an article in French about the ongoing flight-testing of the Avions Marcel Dassault Mirage G prototype......

The article comes from the 1st & 15th June 1968 issue of Aviation Magazine International......

Terry (Caravellarella)
 

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Dear Boys and Girls, here is a picture with a caption in French about the end of official testing of the Avions Marcel Dassault Mirage G prototype and ongoing flight-testing as a two-seater......

The picture comes from the 15th January 1969 issue of Aviation Magazine International......

Terry (Caravellarella)
 

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Dear Boys and Girls, here is a magazine cover showing the Avions Marcel Dassault Mirage G prototype (rear) flying in formation with the Mirage F2 prototype (middle) and the Mirage F1 prototype (front)......

The cover comes from the 15th July 1969 issue of Aviation Magazine International......

Terry (Caravellarella)
 

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Dear Boys and Girls, here is a little picture with a caption in French of the Avions Marcel Dassault Mirage G prototype at the 1969 Paris Salon (exhibited with the Milan prototype)......

The picture comes from the 15th June 1969 issue of Aviation Magazine International......

Terry (Caravellarella)
 

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Dear Boys and Girls, here is a little picture with a caption in French of the Avions Marcel Dassault Mirage G prototype; used to illustrate an article about future prospects for variable geometry with the Avions Marcel Dassault Mirage G4 derivative "project"......

The picture comes from the 1st November 1968 issue of Aviation Magazine International......

Terry (Caravellarella)
 

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Some artwork showing the Mirage G4 and the Mirage G Aeronavale single seater
 

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There's a 58 page "General Briefing" on the Mirage G, which I'd love to post here. It's from the RAAF archives, and includes a few oversize pages (probably detailed technical drawings), as well as hopefully the 1969 flight test evaluation notes by Squadron Leader Fisher.


Copying costs are a bit steep - AU$77.50. :-\ Anyone interested in pitching in?

(I'm thinking of launching a small Kickstarter campaign - not sure if this has been tried before?)
 
I think a Kickstarter campaign would be ideal. I'd pitch in.
 
Glad to hear that I'm not the only one with esoteric interests. ;)


I'll post the Kickstarter link in a few days... as soon as Amazon get off their a** and validate the payments account!
 
Just received my Mirage G documentation, courtesy of the Australian War Memorial archives (RAAF Aircraft R&D Unit records).


I was hoping this would be the full flight test report from Sqd Leader Fisher, who flew the Mirage G in Sep. 1969... since this report might include some interesting comparisons with the Mirage III and F-111. Unfortunately, it's *only* a 60-page Dassault briefing prior to Sqd Leader Fisher's test flights, detailing the flight envelope limitations and partial test results from the first 199 test flights. :'(


I might post some flight envelope data later. For now the most eye-popping data concerns low speed performance:


Take-off speed: 125 knots
Touchdown speed: 110 knots
Ground roll: "within 450 yards" (without use of the drag chute)
Minimum speed: 100 knots at 18 degree AoA... this was a 'soft' limit, because they hadn't yet done any low-speed stall testing to find out the true minimum!


The Mirage G's ground-roll distance in particular is amazing... implies STOL performance better than any supersonic fighter I know of. Better even than most subsonic designs, including carrier-capable designs like the A-6 Intruder and A-1 Skyraider. B)
 
The fact is, there are not many single-jet VG aircrafts beside the Mirage G and (obviously) the Mig-23. The results are not that surprising - a big, powerful turbofan + near straight-wing VG = short take-off run.

For the record the Mirage G was destroyed in Istres two year later (January 23, 1971) with Jean Coureau ejecting safely.

Once again - it's a pity the French navy had no money for a M53 Mirage G...
 
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H_K said:
Just received my Mirage G documentation, courtesy of the Australian War Memorial archives (RAAF Aircraft R&D Unit records).


I was hoping this would be the full flight test report from Sqd Leader Fisher, who flew the Mirage G in Sep. 1969... since this report might include some interesting comparisons with the Mirage III and F-111. Unfortunately, it's *only* a 60-page Dassault briefing prior to Sqd Leader Fisher's test flights, detailing the flight envelope limitations and partial test results from the first 199 test flights. :'(


I might post some flight envelope data later. For now the most eye-popping data concerns low speed performance:


Take-off speed: 125 knots
Touchdown speed: 110 knots
Ground roll: "within 450 yards" (without use of the drag chute)
Minimum speed: 100 knots at 18 degree AoA... this was a 'soft' limit, because they hadn't yet done any low-speed stall testing to find out the true minimum!


The Mirage G's ground-roll distance in particular is amazing... implies STOL performance better than any supersonic fighter I know of. Better even than most subsonic designs, including carrier-capable designs like the A-6 Intruder and A-1 Skyraider. B)
I wonder how much that influenced Vought's decision to use the Mirage G as a takeoff point for their Tomcat competitor.
 
Hi friends ! :) :)
We publish this month the part of the history of Mirage G programs ... ;)
Bonne lecture !
 

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Retouched to join both images and obtain a larger cutaway and quality, Motocar
 

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Hi! Mirage G wind tunnel test model.

 

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Marcel presenting a Mirage G-4 model to Pierre Messmer at the Paris Air Show in May, 1969, Le Bourget :

gettyimages-500408378-2048x2048.jpg

And a Mirage G-2 (!) model , dialog is :
Messmer- "don't you have something cheaper ?"
Marcel- "Suuuuure ! Ahahaha..."

gettyimages-982428516-2048x2048.jpg
 
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Since then I got a glance at the Mirage F1 book by Liebert. Packed full with advanced Dassault designs. The French Navy actually considered a lot of VG designs.
 
Is it wrong of me to say that the Mirage F1, F2 and G has some of the most sexy landing gear


Regards
Pioneer
 
Are there any videor of the F1 (or even better the G8) taking off and retracting the landing gear? There was a novel in the 70s called"Invasion" about an alien invasion with the aliens not a whole lot more advanced than us. In the novel, IIRC and experimental French stealth destroyer is attacked by the aliens, and AdL G8s are launched to rescue it. I want to do a diorama of the G8 taking off, especially if I can find some pictures of French RATOs also.
 
I want to read that novel, even if it proves cheesy and dated, altogether.
 
The INA site have a short extract of a 21mn documentary on the Mirage G :
The complete vid is downloadable for 1.99 € . Very interesting. There is a clear view of the LG cinematic on the full film.
(Note, they have to sell the vid cause even though they archive footages broadcasted on French public TV, they don't own all the footages copyrights, so they have to redistribute in a way. Anyway 1.99€ is cheap, and most of their footage are free).
 
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It is a shame the Mirage G crashed in 1971... then again, of its two "sons", while the G8-01 was preserved at Le Bourget, the G8-02 ended ignominously cut down to the bones and turned into some kind of flight simulator... its remains are at Montelimar aviation museum...
Montélimar, the land of nougat, both well known thanks to the late Jean Yanne. Yanne, when asked "Why do you go to Hollywood to make movies, when you are French and you could make your movies in France ?" got that fantastic answer

"Je vais a Hollywood parce que je suis dans le cinéma, si j'avais été dans le nougat, je serais allé à Montélimar".

"I'm making movies and Hollywood in the land of movies, if I was making nougat I would work in Montélimar"
 
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They should "complete" it with some kind of "dummy" parts, explicitely mentionning it to the public. Make the parts removeable or painted a slightly different color.
 

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