and they quickly dropped to low level and
accelerated across the border to escape.
The Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori
had given strict orders not to cross the
border, so the Mirage 2000s were unable
to give chase.
During the con ict, the Escuadrón 412
detachment ew around 80 combat
missions during both day and night hours,
notching up a total of 110 ying hours.
The actions served as a catalyst for a new
round of FAP spending, with MiG-29 and
Su-25 aircraft arriving from Belarus. The
upgrade of the Mirages was delayed until
1997, when they were modi ed to make
them compatible with Lizard laser-guided
bombs, purchased from Israel.
The subsequent Itamaraty agreement
between Peru and Ecuador resolved the
long-running border dispute as de nitive
lines were drawn.Modern Mirages
In 2019, the dozen Mirage 2000s remain
in service at La Joya with Escuadrón de
Caza 412, under Grupo Aéreo 4. The
squadron is organized with a commander,
an operations commander, and a chief of
tactics and instruction, while the resident
maintenance squadron performs rst-line
duties, with major overhauls conducted
by SEMAN in Lima.
A comprehensive modernization
program was planned in order to improve
the aircraft to 2000-5 standard, but it was
deemed to be prohibitively expensive.
By the end of 2009, an agreement was
reached with Dassault for a $140-million
minor refurbishment to retain their
operational integrity as well as to replacecalled VRAEM (Valle de los Ríos Apurímac,
Ene y Mantaro): ‘We y close air support
in all areas of the VRAEM,’ he says. ‘Usually
we drop bombs together with the Cessna
A-37s and the KAI KT-1s.
‘The [Mirage 2000] is very good and has
a very low rate of failures, despite more
than 30 years of operations.’ Papi explains
that, despite the FAP having lost its pod-
equipped Boeing 707-323C tanker a few
years ago, the two-seat Mirages retain
their in- ight refuelling probes. In fact, the
FAP is planning to train in concert with
local air forces in order to re-establish a
tanking capability with a future ambition
to purchase a new tanker — although
there is no program of record for this.
Recent activities show that the FAP has
growing ambitions. In November 2018,
for example, Escuadrón de Caza 412 took
part in its rst exercise outside Peru, as the
Mirages joined the large Latin American
‘Cruzex’ event in Brazil. Until then, their
only international venture had been to
the FIDAE trade fair in Chile back in 1994.
‘Cruzex’ was seen as an important method
with which to understand combined
operations. Notably, the Mirage pilots
simulated the use of Matra Super R.530
missiles, a weapon not currently featured
in the FAP inventory. It was likely a good
indicator of new ambitions for the Mirage
2000 squadron, which lacks a modern
beyond-visual-range capability and lists
new smart air-to-ground munitions as a
priority. These are obvious directions of
travel for the Peruvian Mirages, which may
be long in the tooth, but are still reliable
and are set to remain important assets
within the FAP for many years to come.The [Mirage 2000] is very
good and has a very low
rate of failures, despite more than
30 years of operations
Maj Renzo Papithe SAGEM UNI 52 inertial navigation
system (INS) with a new Thales Totem 3000
gyro-laser inertial reference system, as well
as adding new brakes for the landing gear.
When the aircraft were complete they also
received a new overall mid-gray scheme,
which was altogether far less exciting
than their original two-tone brown and
sand colors.
Air defense of southern Peru remains
the primary mission of the FAP’s Mirage
2000s. They also roam north to cover Lima
as and when requirements dictate, such
as special events and high pro le visits.
According to Maj Renzo Papi, they also
perform strike missions against terrorist
groups and drug tra ckers that operate in
a notorious area in the Andes MountainsAbove: A Mirage
2000P rolls out
after landing
during ‘Cruzex’.
Santiago Rivas
Below: Pilots from
Escuadrón de
Caza 412 pose
for a group shot
during ‘Cruzex’.
Santiago Rivashttp://www.combataircraft.net // August 2019 45
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