Mirage 4000 N

[PolluxDeltaSeven]

Hello every body!!

Here is my new drawing of a Mirage 4000. This one is quite different of the older ones I posted few weeks ago.
I done a better job on the canopy and the shadows and the weathering, I think, and the engines are a little smaller, more realistic...

Ok, let's go for the backstory:

In 1976, french President, Giscard d'Estaing, refused to buy the Mirage 4000 for the French Air Force.
But Dassault continued his work on the plane, thinking that the Mirage 4000 could have a good success in export market. But to succeed in exporting this fighter, Dassault knew that he needed a French order...
And if the old Mirage III and F1 are going to be replaced by the Mirage 2000, Dassault was sure that modified Mirage 4000 could replaced the older Mirage IV.

In 1979, while the government was ready to choose the Mirage 2000N, Dassault succeeded in convince the Armée de l'Air that a modified Mirage 4000 is a better solution... After few discutions, Giscard allowed Dassault to build a prototype of Mirage 4000 N.

A year later, the first prototype, the Mirage 4000 N-01 took off at Istres Air Base. In its first flight, the plane gone to Mach 1,9 and maintained Mach 1,5 during 20 min without afterburning, at the altitude of 58 000 ft !!
All are world records for a first flight !!



As you can see, the Mirage 4000N is a little different that the future Mirage 4000-5 and the first Super Mirage 4000 prototype (the real one).

This bomber is 1,7 m longer than the fighter one. This lengh allowed a second seat for the WISO in the back place. The WISO has a reduce visibility (like on the Mirage IV) to protect him from the arc-light of a nuclear explosion and not disturb him when he does his mission.

The plane carries more internal fuel, a bigger ECM system, a RAM-1 radar (a multi-purpose radar with terrain-avoidance as primary capability, but also able of air-to-ground strike guidance, air-to-air at short range and maritime strike ability) and a Flir system under the nose.

The tail is also different, with a bigger fuel tank inside and better endurance at low-altitude and high speed.

The engines are M53-P2 with 9,7 tons of thrust each. Those engines are developped to allowed a Mach 2,5 speed for short time. (Mach 2,3 for maximal "cruise" speed with afterburning; Mach 2 for supercruise speed at high altitude; Mach 1,3 supercruise at low-altitude).


PAYLOAD:
The Mirage 4000-N could carry BGL-1000 laser guided bombs, clean and retarded bombs, Magic II air-to-air missiles, Exocet and Martel missiles and also AS-30L missiles.

But for its primary mission, nuclear strike, the Mirage 4000-N carries 1 to 3 ASMP thermonuclear missiles...
For a pre-strategic mission, a single 300kt ASMP is monted centerline, 2 tanks of 2800 litres and 2 Magic II missiles under the wings.
For a tactical mission, the same configuration but with a 150kt ASMP is possible. But for a multiple strike, 2 other 150kt ASMP are carried under the wings, between the tanks and the Magic II.
For a strategic over Russia mission, the centerline missile is replaced by a 2500 litres tank and 2 other 2800 litres tanks are carried under the wings with 2 ASMP of 300kt each.
The centerline tank could be replaced by a 300kt ASMP if the targets are closer (for example Ukrania) or if some tankers could be used for the mission.

[Ollie]

Brilliant!

I love that!

     

[Richard/KeroJP4]

Hi PolluxDeltaSeven, Hi all,

Tout juste déjanté comme j'aime !!!! Just as crazy as I love !

That is an amazing result, as well as the short backstory of the beast ! Beutiful ! The tail looks like a Rafale one, doesn't it ?

That camo is stunning ! As if it was naturally design to fit the Mirage...

Incredible !                  

Regards,

Richard

[PolluxDeltaSeven]

Thanks Ollie, thanks Richard!!

Happy to see you love it  


I just saw that I forgot to write the end of the backstory...


END:
After its fabulous first flight (even if it is a tradition for Dassault's fighters...) in March 1980 and after some comparative test with a Mirage IV and a Mirage 2000-B during the Summer, French Armée de l'Air decided that the Mirage 4000-N is EXACTLY the bomber needed !! In July, a simulated strategic mission with the Mirage IV electronic proved that the Mirage 4000-N had 50% better surviviability and 60% better abilities to succeed in its mission than the old Mirage IV...
And it was with a 20 years old electronic system!!

In September 1980, French government agreed with the order of 6 test Mirage 4000 N and a prevision for 60 more aircrafts... Two months later, after 18 months of unfruitful negociations, Dassault signed his first export contract for the Mirage 4000 E...

That's how the Mirage 4000 became the world best seller it actually is...

(if only   )



Well, for the tail, you are right Richard, I inspired with the Rafale A and Mirage 4000 prototype to design it...

[PolluxDeltaSeven]

Hey guys!!
I just try to do the same Mirage but with a Desert camo...
And it looks wonderful!!

I transform it a little and I post it in few hours

[Ollie]

Je ne peux pas attendre!

 

[noxioux]

Hey pollux, you wouldn't happen to have a plain B&W 3-view in that resolution, would you?

[PolluxDeltaSeven]

By the way, I draw my own profile of the plane, because all the 3-view I found were bad...
I use some photo too, and I modified the Mirage 4000 a lot to "modernise" it

So, I have only 1 view of the 3

[PolluxDeltaSeven]

Sorry guys, I know I promised the new Mirage 4000G (oops... Did I reveald something??   ) for today, but there are there are tens of cuts of electricity  in all the Lyons aglomeration. 20 years in this city, and I never saw that!!

Well, it's impossible for me to work on my computer tonight, and I even don't know if I will have enough time to post other messages in the forum...

So, sorry, and see you tomorrow

[PolluxDeltaSeven]

Here I am with a "new" Mirage 4000 profile...

This one is the Mirage 4000G, a multipurpose aircraft with SEAD as primary missions...




I haven't the complete back story for the moment, but I could imagine that in 1991, after the first Gulf War, the lack of SEAD aircraft for the French Air Force was obvious...

Like UK and USA, France was part of the international presence force, based after the war in some Air Bases in Koweit, Saudia and Turkey to prevent an Iranian invasion of the Arabian Peninsula...

Majority of the missions reserved for the allied planes was CAP and SEAD missions around the No-Fly-Area and the Persian Gulf...

The need for a multi-purpose aircraft abble to execute SEAD mission was an emergency for l'Armée de l'Air...
Happiless, with the end of the Cold War, the nuclear forces could be reduced, and some bombers and other strategic planes don't need a nuclear ability anymore.
The last 12 Mirage IV had to become Strategic Recce planes.
And 30 of the 60 Mirage 4000N were transformed into Mirage 4000G, a multipurpose aircraft based on the Mirage 4000D (80 in operationnal service) but with more powerfull ECM suite.

This aircraft is able to carry some ECM and jammer pod, air-air missiles, BGL-400/1000 laser guided bombs, AS-30L and of course the new ARMAT missile (the French HARM)...

Between 1994 and 1996, until 12 of them were based in the United Arab Emirates under UN mandate, with some Jaguar and Mirage F1 or 2000...

[Deino]

Hey ... what a wunderful idea the 4000N and G .... I think I should realise one of them !!

But I was allways thinking about a "F-15D"-like canopy for a possible double-seater as the single seater's canopy looks much like the F-15C's one !

Just an idea ....  

Cheers, Deino      

[PolluxDeltaSeven]

But I was allways thinking about a "F-15D"-like canopy for a possible double-seater as the single seater's canopy looks much like the F-15C's one !

Just an idea ....

Yes, I had the same idea for the G

For the Mirage 4000N, as it is a nuclear bomber, I inspired by the FB-111 and Mirage IV canopy: a great vision ability for the the pilote, but a more dark place for the WISO: with less external lights, he can better focus on his mission and sreens... Moreover, in case of external nuclear explosions, the WISO is not plugged by the arc-light (for the pilote, it's not as dangerous: at 60m altitude and Mach 0,9 or 1,2, it's the automatic-pilote that control the plane... The pilote have "only" to watch for SAM or Mig threats, the plane's good health etc.)

But for the Mirage 4000G, I thought about a F-15D like canopy (far better than the Mirage 2000D like canopy)... But I haven't have the time to do that

[Ollie]

Merveilleux Yannick!

Je ne peux que ronger mon frein en attendant le Mirage canadien!


       

[PolluxDeltaSeven]

Thanks Ollie...

The Canadian Mirage is longer to draw that those two French ones...
First: it is grey!! And it's much difficult to weathered and make the shadows and markings on a grey drawing...
Second: I had to develop new technics for both Mirage CAF and Mirage N/G, and the CAF one was the "test bed drawing"... So, now that I could use those technics without a problem, I have to redone some details of the CAF Mirage...
Third: I have more pictures of French Mirage 2000 than Canadian F-18  
And to finish, as all of you probably saw, we've got "few" problems here in France... A lot of things I had to do and used to do at night in the center of the city are reported in my daily daytime and my week-ends  
And during the night (when now I have time, a lot of time, for my hobbies...) there are... no electricity!! Or not evrytime...
So it's hard to surf on the net or draw on Photoshop more than few dozens minutes...

So, I'm very sorry  
It will be done ASAP

[Sisko]

Mirage was seriously condidered for tor the RAAF but they went with the hornet instead.

Maybe the 4000 as an F111 replacement?

Looks more appealing then the F-35