On 21 June 2018, the official retiring ceremony of the Dassault Mirage 2000N was held at Base Aérienne 125 Istres-Le Tubé Air Base or BA Istres, when the aircraft type was officially withdrawn from the operational status after 30 years of service in the French Air Force (Armee de l’Air), accumulating more than 350,000 flying hours.
In the presence of the chief of the French Air Force, Général Taprest (Major Général de l’armée de l’air le général de corps aérien Olivier Taprest) and the chief of the French Strategic Air Force, Général Schuler (Général Commandant les Forces Aériennes Stratégiques, Général de corps aérien Bernard Schuler) a parade was held and officially the Mirage 2000N was withdrawn from service. After the ceremony, there was a flying show with displays by AlphaJets, the ‘Couteau Delta’ demo team with the Mirage 2000D, the Rafale demo by pilot Martinez and the Patrouille de France in the Alpha Jets. There was also a formation flight of a C-135F tanker, the Couteau Delta team in their Mirage 2000D, the demo Rafale and 3 Mirage 2000Ns. Later the Mirage 2000N aircraft joined-up with the Patrouille de France (PAF) and after the PAF show, the specially painted Mirage 2000 ‘eNd’ joined the PAF for some more flypasts.
During the ground show near sunset, a jet powered flying-board of Team Zapata flew along a Mirage 2000N that taxied over the platform and the flying-board pilot sent the Mirage 2000N away, forever! Later in the hangar, a big party was organised for all the pilots, navigators, ground-crew and all others that have been involved with the Mirage 2000N during the years.
75 Mirage 2000Ns were ordered by the French Air Force, based on a strengthened version of the Mirage 2000B training variant of the Mirage 2000. The first aircraft became operational in 1988 replacing the aging Mirage IVs in the nuclear deterrent role. Their primary role was the delivery of nuclear missiles (ASMP, Air-Sol Moyenne Portée, air to ground medium range) from the centerline point. And their secondary role was the conventional air-ground attack role. For this conventional role, several adaptations were made, like the recent adaptation to carry laser guided bombs (LGBs).
After the official withdrawal of the Mirage 2000N, all remaining aircraft will be transported to BA Chateaudun, the storage and disassembly base of the French Air Force before the end of the summer of 2018, where the reusable parts (especially the wings) will be reused to keep the current fleet of French Mirage 2000s (M2000D, M2000C, -5) airworthy.
Text by Alex van Noye&Joris van Boven
Photos by Alex van Noye&Joris van Boven