The French Mirage 2000 is one of the best 4th generation fighters in the world. Their combat capability is even better than the American F-16 and the Russian MiG-29 in some parameters.
The five-day Han Kuang exercise began on the morning of September 13 in the eastern part of Taiwan, where the Air Self-Defense Force’s F-16V and Mirage 2000-5 fighters took off, drills were focused on testing the military’s preservation and maintenance of combat capabilities in the event of a full-scale Chinese invasion.
The drills come during a month in which 19 Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, and in the wake of Chinese exercises that analysts say were intended to simulate an invasion across the Taiwan Strait. Taipei is responding by pouring money into missiles and other investments that it hopes will help level an uneven playing field.
In the payroll of the island of Taiwan, there are currently 3 main fighter lines of which the Mirage 2000-5 is made by France, the F-16 is made by the US and finally the domestic fighter series AIDC F-CK-1.
In 1992, the Taiwan Air Force planned to buy 120 Mirage 2000-5s from Dassault (France) but ended up buying only 60 with a total value of $2.6 billion. All of these aircraft were delivered in turn in the period from May 1997 to November 1998. Up to the present time, Mirage 2000-5 is still fully maintained in service with the Taiwan Republic of China Air Force.
Due to the accident, the Taiwan Air Force currently only maintains 47 single-seat Mirage 2000-5EI fighters. There are also 9 two-seat Mirage 2000-5DI for both training and combat. Mirage 2000-5 is an upgraded version from Mirage 2000 exported by France to the island of Taiwan. This version is optimized for air combat.
Mirage 2000-5 equipped with RDY radar is capable of detecting 24 air targets at a distance of 110 km, tracking while scanning the 8 most dangerous targets at the same time, and controlling the weapon to destroy 4 targets at the same time.
According to published information, Taiwan purchased two types of air-to-air missiles for Mirage 2000-5, including 960 MICA medium-range air-to-air missiles and 480 Magic II short-range air-to-air missiles. Magic II missile has a range of 0.3 – 15 km, a target altitude of up to 11 km with infrared guidance. The MICA medium-range air-to-air missile is designed to shoot down multiple air targets in all weather conditions. The missile has two versions of active radar guidance and heat-seeking. The missile has a range of 50 km and a flight speed of Mach 4.
In addition to the relatively strong air-to-air combat capability, Taiwan’s Mirage 2000-5 version can also perform reconnaissance and intelligence gathering missions with the ELINT ASTAC pod.
Mirage-2000 is a single-engine 4th generation jet fighter designed and developed by Dassault Aviation Group (France) based on the Mirage III model. This is a very agile delta wing fighter produced and put into use in the French Air Force since 1982. Mirage 2000 has a length of 14.36m, a wingspan of 9.13m, a height of 5.2m and has a maximum take-off weight of 17 tons.
The aircraft is equipped with a SNECMA M53-5 turboprop propeller engine that allows it to reach twice the speed of sound, with a range of 1,450km. The aircraft has a ceiling of 18,000m and a climbing speed of 285m/s.
Using the delta-wing interceptor concept from the Dassault Mirage III, Dassault came up with a new design that still used this type of wing.
The delta wing type has the advantages of high-speed flight characteristics, simplicity in manufacturing, and low radar response area. For flight control, there are 4 movable parts on the wings (+15/-30°), 4 thin front edges, 4 air brakes (2 high and 2 lower on each wing). A taller vertical tail allows the pilot to control the aircraft at a large angle of attack. The brake parachute is located at the rear, above the engine cover.
The aircraft’s center of gravity is pushed forward of the center of gravity, causing the aircraft to become slightly unstable for enhanced maneuverability. It was the first fighter jet with negative static stability.
Mirage 2000 fighter can carry up to 6.3 tons of weapons, including MICA or R-550 Magic 2 air-to-air missiles, AS-30L air-to-surface missiles, Exocet air-to-ship missiles especially with can carry two SCALP-EG long-range cruise missiles. Mirage 2000 is considered one of France’s most successful multirole fighter models, with exports to 8 countries, more than 600 built.
With proven combat capabilities in real combat, Mirage 2000, especially the Mirage 2000-5 version of the island of Taiwan, is considered to be capable of confronting China’s “pet” fighter J-10.