Parallel with the Mirage F3 study, which was intended to serve as an interceptor aircraft, Dassault decided to study a single-seat derivative which featured the all-French SNECMA Atar 9K-50 turbojet engine. Both the Mirage F2 and a smaller derivative, referred to the Mirage F3, received substantial attention from both Dassault and the French Air Force, the latter being interested in its adoption as a long-range fighter bomber as a stopgap measure prior to the adoption of the envisioned Anglo-French Variable Geometry (AFVG) strike aircraft. Having originally sought to develop a larger swept wing derivative of the Mirage III, which became the Mirage F2, to serve as a vertical take-off and landing ( VTOL) propulsion testbed akin to the Dassault Mirage IIIV, however, it was soon recognized that the emerging design could function as the basis for a competent fighter as well.
The Mirage F1 emerged from a series of design studies performed by French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation. It was succeeded in production by the Dassault Mirage 2000. More than 720 Mirage F1s were manufactured between 19. The type has seen action in a large number of armed conflicts involving several of its operators, including the Western Sahara War, the Paquisha War, the Cenepa War, the Iran–Iraq War, the Gulf War, the South African Border War, the War in Afghanistan, the Chadian–Libyan conflict, the 2011 military intervention in Libya, and the Northern Mali conflict. Powered by a single SNECMA Atar 9K-50 turbojet engine, which provided about 7 tonnes-force (69 kN 15,000 lbf) of thrust, and armed with an array of French and American-sourced armaments, the Mirage F1 has been operated as a light multipurpose fighter and has been exported to around a dozen nations. In July 2014, the last French Mirage F1s were retired from service. It later transitioned to an aerial reconnaissance role. Shortly thereafter, the type was deployed as the main interceptor of the French Air Force, a capacity which it continued to serve in until the arrival of the Mirage 2000. During the latter half of 1974, the Mirage F1 entered service in the French Air Force. Accordingly, initial production units were equipped with the Thomson-CSF Cyrano IV monopulse radar. The French Air Force ( Armée de l'Air) took interest in the fledgling fighter to meet its requirement for an all-weather interceptor aircraft.
Work on the F1 eventually took precedence over the costlier F2, which was cancelled during the late 1960s. It was developed as a successor to the popular Mirage III family.ĭuring the 1960s, Dassault commenced development of what would become the Mirage F1 as a private venture, alongside the larger Mirage F2. The Dassault Mirage F1 is a French fighter and attack aircraft designed and manufactured by Dassault Aviation.
Retired from the French Air Force operational service in June 2014.