The Dassault Mirage IV was a French super-sonic strategic bomber, and deep reconnaissance aircraft. Flying at a height of 20,000ft, and a speed 1,454mph, this small, but effective bomber can drop nuclear bombs, and do some reconnaissance with ease. The Mirage IV was part of France’s nuclear deterrent, or Force De Frappe. It had both the task of bombing, and reconnaissance, but not at the same time. In the 1960s, Dassault had an idea of partnering with the British Aircraft Corporation, or the BAC. The two companies would build the Mirage, and make a special version for the RAF. But this project never came up to snuff, so it was canceled. The prototype for the Mirage looked a lot like a Mirage IIIA. But, this new plane had two engines instead of one, and twice the wing space. This plane also had two times the internal fuel of the Mirage III, making it easier to go long distance. But both planes had a different type of wing. Not a swept wing, not a straight wing, but a delta wing! A delta wing is a type of wing that is a sort of right triangle made into a wing, but it covers both abilities of the wing and the horizontal stabilizers. Lots of planes use it, like the Eurofighter Typhoon, the Saab Draken, and the renowned Avro Vulcan (see my posts on all of these planes!). Retired from the nuclear strike role in 1996, and retired altogether in 2005, the Dassault Mirage was not used much, but to me it was one of the coolest-looking planes of the mid to late 20th century. OOPS! I almost forgot the dimensions (like I did on the last post! See the BAC Lightning)! The length was 77ft, and the wingspan was 39ft. Well, there you have it. The coolest plane of the 1960s… The Mirage IV!
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