MIRAGE III E

1964-1994 30 Years in service with the French Air Force

The Mirage IIIE differed from the IIIC interceptor most obviously in having a 30 centimeter (1 foot) forward fuselage extension to increase the size of the avionics bay behind the cockpit. The stretch also helped increase fuel capacity, as the Mirage IIIC had marginal range and improvements were needed. The stretch was small and hard to notice, but the clue was that the rear edge of the canopy on a Mirage IIIE ended directly above the top lip of the air intake, while on the IIIC it ended visibly back of the lip.

Many Mirage IIIE variants were also fitted with a Marconi continuous-wave Doppler navigation radar radome on the bottom of the fuselage, under the cockpit. However, while no IIICs had this feature, it was not universal to all variants of the IIIE. A similar inconsistent variation in Mirage fighter versions was the presence or absence of an HF antenna that was fitted as a forward extension to the tailfin. On some Mirages, the leading edge of the tailfin was a straight line, while on those with the HF antenna the leading edge had a sloping extension forward. The extension appears to have been generally standard on production Mirage IIIAs and Mirage IIICs, but only appeared in some of the export versions of the Mirage IIIE.

The IIIE featured Thompson-CSF Cyrano II dual mode air / ground radar; a radar warning receiver (RWR) system with the antennas mounted in the tailfin; and an Atar 09C engine, with an afterburning thrust of 60.8 kN (6,200 kgp / 13,700 lbf) and a petal-style variable exhaust. Like the Mirage IIIC, the Mirage IIIE carried twin 30 millimeter DEFA cannon, and also had five stores pylons, with a total stores capacity of 4 tonnes (8,800 pounds).

Negen uitvoeringen mogelijk;

Mirage III E No.410 2-EB, Escadron 01/002 Cigognes - Base Aérienne 102 Dijon-Longvic - 1975.
Mirage III E No.469 3-IF, Escadron01/003 Navarre - Base Aérienne 133 Nancy-Ochey - 1992.
Mirage III E No.439 2-LS, Escadron 03/002 Alsace-Base Aérienne 102 Dijon-Longvic - 1974.
Mirage III E No.470 3-JJ, Escadron 02/003 Champagne - Base Aérienne 133 nancy-Ochey - 1991.
Mirage III E No.495 3-XG, Escadron 03/003 Ardennes - Base Aérienne 133 Nancy-Ochey - 1991.
Mirage III E No.569 4-AQ, Escadron 01/004 Dauphiné - B ase Aérienne 116 Luxeuil-Saint-Sauveur - 1972.
Mirage III E No.619 4-BJ, Escadron 02/004 La Fayette - Base Aérienne 116 Luxeuil-Saint-Sauveur - 1987.
Mirage III E Nr.569 13-PG, Escadron 02/013 Alpes - Base Aérienne 132 Colmar-Mayenheim - 1965.
Mirage III E No.401 13-QH, Escadron 01/013 Artois - Base Aérienne 132 Colmar-Meyenheim - 1990.