Mirage 4000-5 RAAF

[PolluxDeltaSeven]

I opened a new topic for my Australian Mirage 4000, because doing this whif drawing enjoy me very much and so I think that I will do other RAAF whifs


For tonight, there is the my first RAAF Mirage 4000: it belong to the 75 squadron at Tindal Air Base, Northern Territory.

I haven't write the back story for the moment, but I imagine a former RAAF Mirage 4000 E, retrofited in 1999 into the "Mirage 4000-5 Mk2" standard, with advanced air-to-ground abilities  

The plane could be part of a bigger back story, including maybe an Indonesian invasion, something like that



So I hope you'll like it as much as the RSAF one...
I thought the RSAF one was more... "curious"?? Duno, but this Mirage with a camo that looks like a Jaguar one enjoy me very much!!



Goodnight everybody    

[Tophe]

Great! The kangaroo in the roundel seems to have a good time...  

[nev]

good stuff, love the "outback" camo    

[Davey B]

Nice camo job, fella!

Just one question: if the Kiwi on the nose a kill or just an RNZAF 'zap'?

[Captain Canada]

Wow...that's the nicest Mirage 4000 I've seen yet ! Beauty........and I'm a bit curious of the markings as well, what with the Kiwi and the aeroplane silhouette. What kill marking is that ?

Cheers !

[Tophe]

if the Kiwi on the nose a kill?

Oh no... The French President and its Army Minister, that would have ordered kills in New Zealand with Mirages or secret agents (remember Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior?) are dead and burried, not officially condemned alas. This was a shame, not to be celebrated with a Kiwi painted 'kill' and champagne...
-  Tophe, French and not proud of it...  -

[PolluxDeltaSeven]

Hello everybody!


I thought a little about the back story of this Mirage...

The "23-2" Mirage was delivred in 1984 as a Mirage 4000 E, with 12 other aircraft (47 will follow until 1990)... Initially, the plane had a "French like" camo, light grey/sky blue, as it was used for high altitude (65 000 ft) and high-speed (supersonic super-cruise or Mach 2,5, max. speed)... In peace time, the typical payload is one or three 2500 litre tank, 2 Magic/Sidewinder and 2 Super-530...
In crisis time, the operational payload was 6 Super-530 missiles, 2 self-defense Side/Magic and 1 tank (3 for CAP missions)...

The other main mission for the Mirage was the F-111 escort, equiped with 4 Super-530, 2 Sidewinder/Magic and 3 external tanks...

Secondary, the Super Mirage could carry air-to-ground unguided weapons (Australia doesn't buy the laser-guided ability) as Mk-84, Mk-82, TV guided Maverick or rocket pods...


Since, 1992, some Super Mirage started to be painted in a new camo, light and medium grey, better against IR guided missiles and for the maritime missions...
"23-2" was one of those repainted aircraft... Based at Tindal Air Base, it was often use for training above the seas, escorting F-111...



But as I said in my first post, the "23-2" was retrofited in 1999...

Indeed, in 1994, the RAAF, very impressed by its Mirage abilities (at least as good as the F-15), looked at the other Super Mirage operationnal in other country...
For example, the Mirage 4000 replaced in 1993 the old Mirage IV for the nuclear mission in French Air Force. The RSAF was using a multirole Super Mirage since the begining and, as far as th RAAF knew, the skill of the fighter for this mission were extremely good...
And Dassault was already selling a new updated Super Mirage, the Mirage 4000-5, already bought by Taïwan...

So, the same year, the RAAF decide that the old F-111 will be replaced by a new kind of Super Mirage: the Mirage 4000-5 Mk2...

A contract was signed between Dassault and Royal Aeronautical Industry: Australia will pay for the new version development and in exchange, EVERY RDX-3 radar for ANY export customer for Mirage 4000 will be build in Australia, with some part of the engines and the wings...

The contract related to 24 new Mirage 4000-5 Mk2, and a complete retrofit for 20 of the 55 Mirage 4000E still in operational service... The 35 other will be retrofited in Mirage 4000-5 standard until 2004.



So "23-2" was retrofited in "Mk2" standard in June 1999... The Aussie's Super Mirage was the better Mirage 4000 ever used, and some said the better fighter ever... Look at its extremely good skills:

In peace time air-to-air Combat Air Patrol:
-8 MICA missiles + 3 external tank 2500/3000L
-14 MICA with Twin Ejector Rack + 3 tanks 2500/3000L

In crisis/war time air-superiority mission:
-20 MICA + 3 tanks 2500L
-26 MICA (!!!! ) and one 3000L tank

For the air-to-ground missions, the RAAF selected the AGM-109 Tomahawk missile (the same that the F-111 carried), the GBU-24/12 and -16 laser-guided bombs, AS-30L and Maverick missiles.
In 2004, the Storm Shadow missile was bought to complete the AGM-109 mission, and the GPS/IR-guided AASM bomb started to replace the GBU-16 and Maverick missiles...

In a typical 2005 multi-mission operation, a Super Mirage will carry:

-2 MICA-IR  (external wings)
-6 GBU-12 or AASM bombs (in medium wings)
-2 Tank (3000 or 2500 l. in internal wings)
-4 Storm Shadow, Exocet missiles or GBU-24 (on the 4 lateral fuselage pylons...)
-2000 kg of bombs (1 GBU-28, 2 GBU-24, 4 GBU-16 or 8 GBU-12) or an external tank...

[PolluxDeltaSeven]

 
The Kiwi isn't a Kill Marking


In 2005, the 12 Mirage 4000-5Mk2 of the 75sq was engage in the most curious and most dangerous mission ever...

Has you know (I mean, in my alternative history ), the Islamic Revolution in Indonesia in 2002 was followed by a "coup d'état" in Papua New Guinea... This coup was only a disguised attempt at invasion by Indonesian forces, helped by Chinese (they sold some fighters and trained the new Indonesian Special Forces)...

According with the UN, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, New Zealand and USA send troops, ships and planes in the area.
With the help of local countries (Singapor, Malaysia, Australia, Philippines), calms return... even if Indonesian soldiers are still in place in the Iryan Jaya part of Papua and in Timor...

Everybody around the world was looking at this small part of the world...
During 3 years, Indonesia increased is military power, buying chinese fighters, indian ships, engaging mercenaries all around the world...
Everybody thought that the Papua War will restart...

They was right... but not enough...



March 23th 2005 , more than 45 Indonesian (most of them were chinese repainted with the indonesian colors) ships, including amphibious boat went from Timor, land in... Australia.

The same day, during hours, 38 bombs attacks happens in Australia, killing 135 at Sydney Airport, 35 in a trade center in Melbourne, and more than 1200 in other places...
Adelaide, Newcastle, Darwin, Canberra and Brisbane was striked too...
Sydney's Opera was half destructed by a suicide car bomb...

In the same morning, the Indonesian Special Forces, helped with J-8 attack fighters and the rest of the navy, attacked Papua New Guinea again...
The situation was totally chaotic and the police and military forces had no control...

During 4 days, bombs attack happens in the main cities, near the naval and air bases... Panic was everywhere and the first battles against the Indonesian invaders was lost around the Northern Aboriginal Reserves...

March 27th, a new amphibious attack happens, from the Indonesian Forces now in place in Papua... 3 days later, the entire York Peninsula was under Indonesian controle...

Fear is everywhere, everybody stay at home, fearing another bomb attack...
The martial law enter in service tonight...

A Mirage 4000 takes off from Alice Spring Air Base for a recce mission over Scherger Air Base... 3 hours ago, every radio contact were lost with this RAAF reserve base, after 2 days of resistance...
The plane never return...

March 28th, a flight of 3 Mirage from Laverack Air Base, armed with cluster bombs and AS-30L missiles went to the North and found an Indonesian Army division... With any air support, the Indonesian troops had no chance...

It was the begining of the Australian counteract!!!

April 4th
Indonesian invasion over Papua New Guinea is still in progress... and no-one could react...
The first US and UK helps arrived 2 days ago, and more reinforcements forces are still in their way from France, Canada, Italy, Germany, Sweden and Singapor...


...


I have to go... In my following post, you'll know why this Red Kiwi is painted on the nose

[lancer]

Beautiful Mirage Pollux, I love the cammo scheme. Your back stories are inceredibly cool as well. Can't wait for the next installment.

[PolluxDeltaSeven]

Hello everybody, I'm back for the Second Part of my Indonesian Invasion over Australia!!


...


April 5th
-Even if the first NATO and UN forces had arrived in Australia, the military situation is still unclear: Indonesian forces are posted in all the north of the country, in north Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland and Coral Sea Island Territory.

More than 3000 km of coasts are occupied or under Indonesian strikes. And if Canberra think that most of those territories could be release until the end of the month, it is obvious that the battle for the York Peninsula will be very longer, very deadly and difficult... Even with the help of the Allies...
Yet, some soldiers of the New Indonesian Army had made massacres in Aboriginal Reserves and the Australian police forces send to protect them never came back home...



-For the moment, hundreds of Aussies soldiers are moving to the North, the aerial support given by 2 sqadrons of BAe Hawk and the first British Harrier, the Mirage 4000 being used for long-range strikes and maritime fight in the Gulf of Carpentia and the Timor Sea... Temporary air bases are building around Hooker, Hatches and Tennant Creek (Nor. Ter.) and at Duchess, Maxwelton and Morella (Queensland).

At 3:00 PM, all the Mirage 4000 of Tindal Air Base tried to take off and break the Indonesian blocus around their base... Two of them (including our23-002)  were armed with Mk-84 bombs to destroy the SAM and only one was lost: it was the "23-001", the leader.

Being refueled by a KC-130 over Tanami Desert, they all land at Alice Springs Air Base. Two hours later, 4 were rearmed and take off for a CAP mission, while the 7 others were repainted with the camo you can see at my Mirage drawing.



-The same day, in Hawaï, 4 giant airships (hey!! That's "what-if"!! ) with 2 entire Armoured Divisions take off and start fling South-West...

The USS Kitty Hawk Task Force is arriving from Japan and start striking Indonesian Navy and Air Force in the Malassar Straight, trying to hide the real way of the Kitty Hawk, in the Molucca Sea...
Admiral James Kelly know that the way will be very difficult: the Task Force Five had to slalom between dozens of Indonesian Islands, beeing as stealth as possible, no electronic and radio waves, no light, travel by night at high speeds during the night.
Tomorrow morning, the things will be very different...



April 6th
- Composit Task Force Eleven in Indian Ocean is cruising at the West of Cocos Islands, after a week at maximum speed... French Carrier "Charles de Gaulle" is the main ship of this Task Force, the second one is the Royal Navy "Ark Royal" carrier... Italian and Spanish Harrier are inboard of this two carrier, added to the Rafale, Super Etendard and Harrier GR.7...
The amphibious ships "Sirroco" and "Albion", with some frigates, tankers, SSN and destroyers complete the Task Force...

While the European Task Force is racing in the Indian Ocean, the sun rise in the Banda Sea and the USN Task Force...

-The night was calm for Admiral Kelly, the only probleme was a small Indonesian frigate, quickly destroyed by the USS Cheyenne SSN...
But it's now the morning and even with a quite bad weater, all the Task Force will have to pass through all those little straits near Tanimbar and Aru Islands, the last Indonseian territories before the Australian, but occupied, coasts...

At 6:00AM, an Alpha Strike was launch: the entire CVW-5 went to the air and start bombing New Indonesian Army and Air Force bases, destroying the Indonesian (often Chinese repainted) ships and open a safe way through the islands...
The F/A-18C and F/A-18E of the Navy, the F/A-18D of the Marines and all the S-3, SH-60 and EA-6B went to the battle...

More than 40 ground targets and a dozen of ships were destroyed, a F/A-18F even killed an Indonesian J-7...

But 3 F/A-18C were destroyed during the operation, 1 pilot killed, 1 arrested by Indonesian forces and the other ejected just a mile before landing to the Kitty Hawk desk, being saving by a Seahawk helicopter...

Until 13:00PM, the Hornet strikes several targets and the CAP still happened during the afternoon, even if the Strike Group is now "safe" in the Arafura Sea...

During all the night, the Strike Group began its "first" strikes against Indonesian forces in the Gulf of Carpentaria and the York Peninsula...


-The Australian forces mainly strike back in the Northern Territory, trying to release the Arnhem Land. By the way, Aussies soldier did it very well... Even if the transport and support  in this area is extremely difficult, the Army, the RAAF and the police forces combined their forces to defeat the New Indonesian Army...
All the Indonesian support troops and air force were send to Papua New Guinea, the Indonesian detashment in Australia had no chance... but try to give time to the Invasion Force in Papua New Guinea...

In Queensland and Coral Sea Islands Territory, the Australian forces are helped with French Mirage, Tornado from Italy and Germany and a lot of Tornado, Harrier and the last Jaguar of the RAF...
They do their best to battle the Indonesian forces in the York Peninsula but the Su-30 and J-10 from Papua bases and the support troops send from Indonesia are too powerful...
A joint operation with the Kitty Hawk Group is planified, but the Kitty Hawk wil have to deal with the Indonesian Navy and Air Force in the Torres Strait, and it will take some times...
Maybe too much time for Papua New Guinea and even for... York Peninsula!!



April 7th
-There are now more foreign Allie fighters in Australia that RAAF's... But even with very good planes, weapons and crews, the NATO's fighter are very less efficient at fight than Aussie's...
For this reason, the Joint Allie Command in Canberra, according with NATO and Allies members, decide that every Australian squadron will have a foreign "sister squadron"... The RAAF will use the Allie abilities and weapons when the "sister squadron" will profit of the RAAF experience...

This morning, 6 New Zealand Mirage 2000-5 arrived at Alice Spring to be coupled with the 75 sq... During the night, a Red Kiwi was painted on the nose of every Mirage 4000 of the squadron, in honor of their new guests...


The war is not over...




...

Now you know why this Kiwi is painted on the nose. In the following post, if you want it, I probably will post a picture of a NZ Mirage 2000 and the Part 3 of the war.


Hope you'll enjoy!!


Good night everybody

[Sisko]

April 8th

Australia stops giving Indonesia Billions in aid. Country Collapses


War over  

[PolluxDeltaSeven]

 

Good idea, but it happened 3 years ago, during the first Papua War
But China was here to replace Australia as the first foreign investisor in Indonesia (since around 1995, China try to do that... including in real world   )

[Ollie]

Hey!

Good job, but where's the Canadian one, eh?

 

[K5054NZ]

Hey Pollux, whatever happened to the Kiwi Mirage?

[Brian da Basher]

Love the Mirage Pollux, and the fascinating back story. I'm itching to hear more about those U.S. Navy airships.

Brian da Basher