The fi rst 31 aircraft were
delivered in 2000NK1
standard and were initially only
able to employ the ASMP plus
Matra Magic 2 infra-red missiles
for self-protection
for approximately 40 per cent of Mirage
2000N activity.
The 2000N’s rst combat actions came
in 1994 during Operations ‘Crècerelle’
and ‘Deliberate Force’ in the skies above
the former Yugoslavia. From February
22, jets operating from Cervia, Italy ew
with Mk82 bombs for close air support
(CAS). The quartet of 2000NK2 squadrons
was engaged in this enduring mission
until 1995. Of note was the loss of Mirage
2000N serial 346 to a MANPAD on August
30, 1995. The crew was captured by
Serbian forces before being released
three months later.
Despite its use in 1994-95, the K2
standard lacked any form of precision
weapons capability, and was therefore
sidelined when the ‘Allied Force’Kosovo mission kicked o . The ensuing
2000NK2-4C standard added the ability
to carry a pair of US 500lb GBU-12s or a
single 2,000lb (907kg) GBU-24 ‘bunker-
buster’ on the centerline. However, the
type never gained a self-designation
capability, instead being forced to rely
on another type for ‘buddy-lasing’ under
a tactic known locally as MFFO (mixed
ghter force operation).New nuclear talons
The advent of the new ASMP-A resulted
in 30 2000Ns being upgraded to K3
standard, enabling them to launch
the new ASMP-A. They were declared
operational on October 1, 2009 after
three years of work. Importantly, this
included a new internal GPS receiver, buthttp://www.combataircraft.net // September 2018 75
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