Mach 2 Marvels: The Epic Saga of Dassault’s Mirage Fighter Jets
The Mirage III became the first Western European combat jet to exceed Mach 2 in 1958. France fielded the Mirage IIIC by 1961, followed by the Mirage F1 in 1966 and the Mirage 2000 in 1978. Over 1,400 Mirage III/5/50s, 726 F1s, and 600 Mirage 2000s were built. In 2024–25, France delivered retired Mirage 2000-5F fighters armed with MICA and Scalp-EG missiles to Ukraine.
