squadron commander, whose name
is withheld for security reasons. ‘The
aircraft were withdrawn from service
to be stored at Châteaudun and the
crews have been leaving for their new
assignments,’ he added. Since 2015,
a large part of the nuclear operation
has moved across to Saint-Dizier. The
last group of 2000N crews will likely
not switch to the Rafale, as it is now
fully sta ed, and will instead head to
Salon or Cognac to man training units
or to the CEAM (Centre d’Expertise
Aérien Militaire) air warfare center at
Mont-de-Marsan.Birth of the 2000N
The Dassault Mirage 2000N entered
service in 1987 and 75 production
aircraft were delivered over the
following ve years. Back in 1987, the
only o ensive weapon in its armory was
the original ASMP, essentially a nuclear
warhead strapped to a ramjet that
gave it Mach 3-plus performance and a
shroud of invincibility. Retaining a eet
of 75 jets to cover the single role wassomething of a gold-plated solution,
and as defense cuts hit the French Air
Force it soon re-focused its e orts to
bring a useful multi-role capability to
the 2000N.
The 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. The advent of the
2000NK2 standard saw the type being
equipped to use conventional bombs,
including up to four 500lb (227kg)
Mk82 bombs on the centerline or 250kg
(551lb) retarded and slick bombs, plus
the BAP-100 anti-runway weapon and
BAT-120 area denial bombs. A total
of 44 K2-con gured Mirage 2000Ns
were delivered, the surviving K1s
subsequently being brought up to K2
standard for a common eet.
The 2000NK2 was o cially quali ed in
the spring of 1992 as the type broadened
its exclusive nuclear posture and was
therefore able to relieve the operational
burden from its sister units. Subsequently,
this conventional mission accountedMIRAGE
2000N AT
A GLANCE
With the Mirage 2000N, Dassault
engineers designed an aircraft that
was dramatically lighter and smaller
than the Mirage IV it replaced. The
two-seat con guration re ected the
complexity of the nuclear mission
— all-weather penetration in a
contested environment.
Initial plans drawn up from 1984-
88 called for 85 aircraft and even
hinted at a subsequent addition of
27 aircraft. This in fact resulted in a
Mirage 2000N that was optimized
for conventional operations —
the 2000D. The change of plan
meant that only 75 2000Ns were
built, receiving serials 301 to 375.
Production began in July 1984
and the entire eet was delivered
between January 1987 and 1992.This image:
Mirage
2000NK3 serial
357/125-CO in
its special paint
scheme to mark
the retirement of
the type.
Above left: The
2000N was
optimized for
low-level ingress
in poor weather,
clutching a
single nuclear
missile under
its belly.
Below left
to right: The
fabulous lines of
the 2000N are
shown to good
effect in this
view.
‘Jonah’ and
‘Pétule’ roll
‘Ramex Noir’
onto its back
for the camera
to reveal the
underside
artwork.TYPE REPORT // MIRAGE 2000N FAREWELL
74 September 2018 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net
72-77 Mirage Farewell C.indd 74 20/07/2018 11:35