Dassault Mirage 2000

The Dassault Mirage 2000 is a multirole, single-engine, delta wing, fourth-generation jet fighter designed and produced by the French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation.

Work on what would become the Mirage 2000 originated with the "Delta 1000" project launched in 1972. In contrast to other projects that Dassault had recently worked on, such as the Anglo-French Variable Geometry (AFVG) and Mirage G, the Delta 1000 was an interceptor first and a strike aircraft second while retaining a more affordable single engine configuration. In response to feedback from the French Air Force (Armée de l'air), which sought a lightweight fighter to replace the Mirage III for the French Air Force (Armée de l'air), the Delta 2000 proposal was redesigned into the Mirage 2000, for which the service issued requirements that matched Dassault's performance estimates in March 1976. On 10 March 1978, only 27 months after the programme was cleared to proceed, the first prototype conducted its maiden flight, during which the aircraft went supersonic. A total of three prototypes and one single-seat demonstrator were produced for the flight test programme. On 20 November 1982, the first production Mirage 2000C (C for chasseur, "fighter") made its first flight; deliveries commenced during the following year.