strike fighter were among the most modern
attack fighters in service anywhere in the
world at the time of their appearance.
The 2000N’s entry to service brought
the Armée de l’Air (French Air Force) into
the era of automatic terrain-following, all-
weather, day and night precision attacks,
and fully integrated, internal self-protection
systems/electronic warfare suites.
Compared with the Mirage IIIE it replaced,
the Mirage 2000N offered three main
advantages: an in-flight refuelling capability,
a modern navigation/attack system
and a standoff weapon capability.
To carry out the nuclear deterrence
mission and survive against the thenMirage 2000N
Above: The protection of nuclear bases is taken very seriously by the French Armed Forces. Here, a force
protection specialist armed with a 5.56mm FAMAS assault rifl e equipped with an underslung 40mm
grenade launcher guards Mirage 2000N serial 318 ‘4-BP’ of EC 2/4. All photos Henri-Pierre Grolleau
unless stated Below: A pair of Mirage 2000Ns up from Istres for a training sortie over the
Mediterranean in October 2015. The jets are serials 345 ‘125-BU’ and 366 ‘125-BC’, both
upgraded to Mirage 2000NK3 standard and operated by EC 2/4 ‘La Fayette’. Katsuhiko Tokunagahttp://www.airforcesmonthly.com #364 JULY 2018 // 81