TheDassault Mirage 5 is a French supersonicattack aircraft/fighter-bomber designed byDassault Aviation during the 1960s and manufactured in France and other countries. It was derived from Dassault's popularMirage III fighter and spawned several variants of its own, including theIAI Kfir. In Pakistan's service, the Mirage 5s are modified and are capable ofnuclear weapons delivery.[1]
TheMirage 5 grew out of a request to Dassault from theIsraeli Air Force. Since the weather over the Middle East is clear and sunny most of the time, the Israelis suggested removing theair intercept radar and its avionics, normally located behind the cockpit, from the standard Mirage IIIE to reduce cost and maintenance, and replacing them with more fuel storage for attack missions.[2][3] In September 1966, the Israelis placed an order for 50 of the new aircraft. Due to customer preference some variants of the Mirage 5 were radar-equipped.[4]
The first Mirage 5 flew on 19 May 1967.[5] It looked much like the Mirage III, except that it had a long slender nose that extended the aircraft's length by about half a metre. Apitot tube was distinctively moved from the tip of the nose to below the nose in the majority of Mirage 5 variants. The Mirage 5 retained the IIIE's twin DEFA guns, but added two additional pylons, for a total of seven. Maximum warload was 4,000 kg (8,800 lb). Provision for the SEPR rocket engine was deleted. Rising tensions in the Middle East led French PresidentCharles de Gaulle toembargo the Israeli Mirage 5s on 3 June 1967. The Mirages continued to roll off the production line, even though they were embargoed, and by 1968 the batch was complete and the Israelis had provided final payments.[6] In late1969, the Israelis, who had pilots in France testing the aircraft, requested that the aircraft be transferred toCorsica, in theory to allow them to continue flight training during the winter. The French government became suspicious when the Israelis also tried to obtain long-range fuel tanks and cancelled the move.[citation needed] The Israelis finally gave up trying to acquire the aircraft and accepted a refund.[7]
Israeli Nesher over the Golan Heights during the Yom Kippur War
Some sources claim that cooperation with France resumed outside the public's eye and Israel received 50Mirage 5s in crates from theFrench Air Force, while the French took over the 50 aircraft originally intended for Israel, asMirage 5Fs.[8][9][10] Officially, Israel claimed to have built the aircraft after obtaining complete blueprints, naming themIAI Nesher.[11][12]
Like the Mirage IIIE, the Mirage 5 was popular with export customers, with different export variants fitted with a wide range of different avionics. While the Mirage 5 had been originally oriented to the clear-weather attack role, with some avionic fits it was refocused to the air-combat mission. As electronic systems became more compact and powerful, it was possible to provide the Mirage 5 with increased capability, even though the rear avionics bay had been deleted, therefore in some sub-versions, the result was a "reinvented" Mirage IIIE.
Reconnaissance and two-seat versions of the Mirage 5 were sold, with the designationMirage 5R, andMirage 5D respectively.
Argentine Air Force Mirage 5PA MARA, November 2005
In 1978 and 1980, Israel sold a total of 35 of theirNeshers plus 4 Nesher trainer aircraft (Nesher Ts) toArgentina, where they were locally known first asDaggers and after their upgrade asFingers.[24] The Argentines lost two Mirage IIIEAs and twelve Daggers during theFalklands War in 1982.[25] As a measure of solidarity, the Peruvians transferred ten of their Mirage 5Ps to Argentina, under the nameMirage Mara, to help alleviate its losses.[26]
South Africa purchased five Nesher trainers for trials during its ownAtlas Cheetah fighter programme. All the aircraft were eventually upgraded toCheetah D standard.[27]
Chile incorporated some Mirage 5s under nameMirage Elkan.[28]
A total of 582 Mirage 5s were built, including 51 Israeli Neshers.
In 1968, the Belgian government ordered 106 Mirage 5s from Dassault. All aircraft but the first one of each variant were to be license-built by SABCA in Belgium. Component production at the SABCA Haren plant near Brussels was followed by assembly at the SABCA plant at Gosselies airfield, near Charleroi. The ATAR engines were produced by FN Moteurs at this company's Liège plant. SABCA production included three versions: Mirage 5BA for the ground-attack role, Mirage 5BR for the reconnaissance role and Mirage 5BD for training and conversion.[14]
By the end of the 1980s, a MIRage Safety Improvement Program (MIRSIP) was agreed to by parliament, calling for 20 low-time Mirages (15 Mirage 5BAs and 5 Mirage 5BDs) to be upgraded. Initial plans included a new more powerful engine, but this idea was abandoned to limit cost. The upgrade eventually included a more modern cockpit, a new ejection seat, alaser rangefinder, and canards to improve takeoff performance and overall maneuverability. A new government canceled the MIRSIP but SABCA was allowed to carry out the update, in order to sell the aircraft on the export market.[29] After completion, the Belgian government sold all 20 aircraft to Chile, together with 4 non-upgraded Mirage 5BRs, and one non-upgraded Mirage 5BD.[28]
The development and subsequent installation of the new Atar 9K50 engine led to the next Mirage variant, theMirage 50, during the 1970s. The uprated engine gave the Mirage 50 better takeoff and climb characteristics than its predecessors. The Mirage 50 also incorporated new avionics, such as a Cyrano IV radar system. However, despite these upgrades, it did not prove popular in export sales as the Mirage 5 itself was becoming obsolete.[citation needed]
Chile ordered a quantity of Mirage 50s, receiving both new production as well as updated Armée de l'Air Mirage 5s.[30] The Chilean aircraft were later modernised along the lines of theIAI Kfir and were called theENAER Pantera. The Pantera incorporates fixedcanards and other aerodynamic improvements, as well as advancedavionics, an in-flight refuelling probe, a reinforced landing gear, and two additional harpoints under the fuselage. These aircraft have an extended nose to accommodate some of the new systems.[31]
In the early 1990s, Dassault upgraded a batch of Venezuelan Mirage IIIEVs and 5s to Mirage 50 standards, in addition to some newly built aircraft.[32]
In the first phase of the project, formerRoyal Australian Air ForceMirage III fighters received a modernisation designatedROSE I.[33] Mirage 5Fs were also bought in the late 1990s from theFrench Air Force.[34] Twenty of them were upgraded with new cockpit equipments including multifunction displays and a head-up display,navigation/attack suites, defensive aids systems, encrypted radios, a radar altimeter and aforward-looking infrared (FLIR) sensor under the aircraft's nose, under the ROSE II program.[33]
Additionally, 14 Mirage 5Fs were similarly upgraded but with newer systems, under a program designated ROSE III.[33] The FLIR sensors enable the Mirage 5 ROSE fighters to specialise in the night-time attack role.[citation needed]
During the 1991Gulf War, 18 Belgian Mirage 5s were deployed to Turkey alongsideGermanAlpha Jets andItalianF-104s under aNATO-based operation to protect Turkey against potential Iraqi attacks.[35]
TheIndian Air Force displayed debris of what it claimed to be a PAF Mirage 5 shot down by air defense systems duringOperation Sindoor press briefing on May 12, 2025.[39][40] In Late June 2025, claims emerged from Indian OSINT sources showing alleged Video Evidence (uploaded toX, but then since deleted) of Pakistani Civilians aiding authorities in looking for "Indian Pilots" but discovering a type of Ejection Seat associated with Pakistani Mirage 3/5 in daylight. This has yet to be confirmed, but the daylight would indicate that the aircraft was shot down on the later days ofOperation Bunyan-un Marsoos (the Pakistani response to Operation Sindoor, in which Pakistani Strike Assets including Mirage 5s are thought to have been used).[41][better source needed]
Egypt has historically used Mirage 5s, with 101 according to most sources, and at least 82 continually modernized overall. They were primarily used as ground strike aircraft and were extensively modernised throughout their time with the Egyptians, and at least one was shot down by IranianF-14As on 14 March 1986, a Mirage 5SDE. Another Mirage was damaged by anF-4 Phantom on the same day. As of 2019, there was some talk to selling old airframes to Pakistan,[42] though this seems to have not gone through.[citation needed]
Mirage 5BA : Single-seat version of the Mirage 5 forBelgium, fitted with mainly US avionics; 63 built, 62 under license by SABCA.[43]
Mirage 5COA : Export version of the Mirage 5 forColombia. 14 built.[43] Remaining aircraft upgraded by IAI with canards and new avionics.[45]
Mirage 5D : Export single-seat ground-attack aircraft of the Mirage 5 forLibya; 53 built.[43]
Mirage 5DE : Single-seat radar-equipped fighter-bomber version forLibya; 32 built. 31 survivors upgraded withradar warning receivers starting in 1975.[18]
Mirage 5F : Single-seat ground-attack fighter aircraft for theFrench Air Force. 50 ex-Israeli Mirage 5Js.[46] Eight aircraft withdrawn for conversion to Mirage 50C for Chile, with eight new-build 5Fs built as replacements.[47]
Mirage 5G : Export version of the Mirage 5 forGabon. Three built.[43]
Mirage 5G2 : Four aircraft forGabon, with provision for alaser rangefinder under the nose; two new-build and two undelivered ex-Zaire 5M.[17]
Mirage 5J : 50 aircraft were ordered byIsrael, but the order was later embargoed by the French government. They were delivered instead to theFrench Air Force as theMirage 5F.[46]
Mirage 5M : Export version of the Mirage 5 forZaire;[43] 14 built, of which only 11 delivered owing to funding shortages.[48]
Mirage 5MA Elkan : Upgraded Mirage 5BA aircraft sold toChile.
Mirage 5P : Export version of the Mirage 5 forPeru; 22 built.[49]
Mirage 5P Mara : Upgraded Mirage 5P forArgentina; 10 aircraft sold by Peru.[26]
Mirage 5PA2 : New-build aircraft forPakistan, fitted with the Agave radar; 18 built.[52]
Mirage 5PA3 : New-build anti-shipping aircraft forPakistan, also fitted with the Agave radar and compatible with theExocetanti-ship missile. 12 built.[53]
Mirage 5SDE : Single-seat radar-equipped fighter-bomber version forEgypt, equivalent to Mirage IIIE; 54 built.[54]
Mirage 5E2 : Upgraded radarless attack version forEgypt, with a navigation and attack system identical to the one found on theAlpha Jet MS2. 16 built.[55]
Mirage 5V : Single-seat ground attack aircraft 5 forVenezuela; six built. 2 survivors rebuilt to Mirage 50EV standard, and 1 to Mirage 50DV.[21]
Mirage 5R : Single-seat reconnaissance aircraft.
Mirage 5BR : Reconnaissance version of 5BA forBelgium; 27 built, 23 in Belgium.[56]
Mirage 5COR : Export version of the Mirage 5R forColombia;[56] two built.[57]
Mirage 5DR : Export version of the Mirage 5R forLibya; ten built.[58][59]
Mirage 5RAD : Export version of the Mirage 5R forAbu Dhabi,UAE; three built.[44]
Mirage 5SDR : Export version of the Mirage 5R forEgypt; six built.[54]
Mirage 5Dx : Two-seat training version.
Mirage 5BD : Two-seat trainer version of 5BA for Belgium; 16 built, 15 built locally.[60]
Mirage 5COD : Two-seat trainer for Colombia. Two built.[60] Upgraded with canards and new avionics.[45]
Mirage 5DAD : Two-seat trainer for Abu Dhabi, UAE. Three built.[60]
Mirage 5DD : Two-seat trainer for Libya; 15 built.[60]
Mirage 5DG : Two-seat trainer for Gabon; two delivered in 1978.[17]
Mirage 5DG2 : Two-seat trainer for Gabon; two built, delivered in 1984 and 1985 respectively.[17]
Mirage 5DM : Two-seat trainer for Zaire; three built, all of which were delivered.[61]
Mirage 5DP : Two-seat trainer for Peru; four delivered.[49]
Mirage 5DP3 : Upgraded trainer for Peru, with the same improvements as on the Mirage 5P3; one built.[62]
Mirage 5DP4 : Upgraded trainer for Peru, with the same improvements as on the Mirage 5P4, except the in-flight refueling probe; one new-build plus upgraded older aircraft.[62]
Mirage 5DPA2 : Two-seat trainer version for Pakistan; two built.[53]
Mirage 5DV : Two-seat trainer for Venezuela; three built. One survivor rebuilt to Mirage 50DV standard.[21]
Mirage 5MD Elkan : Upgraded Mirage 5BD aircraft sold to Chile.
Mirage 5SDD : Two-seat trainer for Egypt; six built.[54]
Mirage 50 : multi-role fighter-bomber, ground-attack aircraft, powered by more powerful 49.2 kN (11,055 lbf) dry, 70.6 kN (15,870 lbf) with reheat Atar 9K-50 engine. Available with or without radar.
Mirage 50C : New-build radar-equipped Mirage 50 for Chile; six built.[63]
Mirage 50FC : Eight re-engined Mirage 5F aircraft sold to Chile.[63]
Mirage 50DC : Two-seat training version for Chile. Three built, two with lower powered Atar 9C-3 engine.[63]
Mirage 50CN Pantera : Mirage 50C and 50FC aircraft upgraded byENAER with help from the Israeli companyIAI for Chile with canards, revised, Kfir style nose and new avionics; 13 50C and FC upgraded plus two 50DC trainers.[64]
Mirage 50DV : Two-seat training version for Venezuela. Similar standard to 50EV, save for the radar, and the refueling probe that can only be used for training (no fuel transfer possible). One new build plus two upgrades (one Mirage 5V and one Mirage 5DV).[65] This variant is also in service with theEcuadorian Air Force.[66]
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_Mirage_5MA_Elkan_Lofting-2.jpg)
.jpg)
Pakistan: 92[66][67]
Abu Dhabi /
United Arab Emirates: 32[68]
Argentina: 10 Mirage 5P and 39 IAI Nesher[27][66][69]
Belgium: 106[66][70]
Chile: 42, 25 Mirage 5M ELKAN and 17 Mirage 50[71]
Colombia: 18[66]
Ecuador: 6 Mirage 50,[66] replaced byIAI Kfirs.
Egypt: 101 Mirage 51,[72][16] one of which was shot down on 14 March 1986 duringIran–Iraq War byAIM-9 Sidewinder launched by an IranianGrumman F-14 Tomcat.[73]
France: 50[74]
Gabon: 11[66]
Israel: 61 IAI Nesher[27]
Federation of Arab Republics
Libya: 110[75][66][76]
Peru: 40[20]
South Africa: 5 IAI Nesher; all upgraded toAtlas Cheetah[27]
Venezuela: 21, 9 Mirage 5 and 16 Mirage 50 (including 4 rebuilt Mirage 5 that were already used by Venezuela before)[21]
Zaire: 17[66]
