Dassault Mirage 4000

Dassault Mirage 4000
Country	France
Role	Prototype fighter aircraft
First flight	19 March 1979
Built	1

The Dassault Mirage 4000 (sometimes named the Super Mirage 4000) was a French prototype jet fighter aircraft developed by Dassault-Breguet from their Mirage 2000.

Source: Dassault Mirage 4000 on Wikipedia

Dassault Mirage 4000 Walk Around
Photographer	Meindert de Vreeze
Localisation	Unknow
Photos	44

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The “Super Mirage” Prototype

The Dassault Mirage 4000 was a private venture by Dassault Aviation, designed as a heavyweight, twin-engine evolution of the Mirage 2000. It was intended to compete directly with the American F-15 Eagle and the Soviet Su-27 Flanker. Larger, faster, and carrying twice the fuel of its smaller brother, the “Super Mirage” was one of the first aircraft in the world to utilize carbon fiber composites in its construction. Despite being a technical masterpiece, it remained a “prototype-only” aircraft because the French Air Force could not afford it, and potential export customers like Saudi Arabia chose the F-15 instead.

Attribute	Technical Specification (Prototype 01)
Role	Heavy Air-Superiority Fighter / Interceptor
Crew	1 (Pilot)
First Flight	March 9, 1979
Powerplant	2 × SNECMA M53-2 afterburning turbofans
Thrust	19,100 lbf (85 kN) each with afterburner
Maximum Speed	Mach 2.3 (2,445 km/h)
Service Ceiling	65,600 feet (20,000 m)
Armament (Planned)	2 × 30mm DEFA cannons; up to 8,000 kg on 11 hardpoints

A Giant with Canards

Twin-Engine Power: Unlike the single-engine Mirage 2000, the 4000 used two M53 engines. This gave it a thrust-to-weight ratio greater than 1:1, allowing it to accelerate vertically and maintain high speeds while carrying a massive payload.
Movable Canards: To manage the massive lift of the delta wing, the Mirage 4000 featured large, movable canard foreplanes. These greatly improved maneuverability and lift at low speeds, a design element that would later influence the Rafale.
Carbon Fiber Pioneer: The 4000 was a testbed for advanced materials. Its vertical stabilizer (fin) was the first large-scale structural aircraft component ever made entirely from carbon-reinforced plastic, significantly reducing weight.
Massive Fuel Capacity: The fuselage was designed with an enormous internal fuel volume. Combined with its ability to carry three 2,500-liter drop tanks, the Mirage 4000 had a range that would have made it an exceptional long-distance interceptor or deep-penetration bomber.

The Fate of the “White Desert” Hunter

The Saudi Connection: Dassault largely built the 4000 with Saudi Arabian funding in mind. It was initially painted in a desert camouflage scheme for its marketing tours, earning it a legendary status in aviation circles as the “lost” Saudi fighter.
Rafale’s Ancestor: Although it never entered production, the flight data and technologies developed for the Mirage 4000—particularly the fly-by-wire system and carbon fiber usage—became the foundation for the Dassault Rafale.
Supercruising Prototype: In test flights, the Mirage 4000 was capable of reaching supersonic speeds without the use of afterburners (supercruise) while carrying a light load, a feat rare for aircraft of that generation.
Museum Piece: The only prototype ever built now rests at the Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace at Le Bourget, Paris, standing as a reminder of France’s attempt to build the ultimate heavyweight fighter.