[Development] Mirage 4000: Ahead of the Game - News

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Mirage 4000: Ahead of the Game

12 December 2023 Development

Today we’ll be taking a look at the Mirage 4000, an experimental variant of the renowned Mirage jet fighter developed in parallel to the Mirage 2000. Featuring a twin-engine configuration and vastly improved aerodynamics, the Mirage 4000 will soon be arriving at Rank VIII of the French aircraft tree in the “Air Superiority” major update!

Mirage 4000: A Jet Fighter for France at Rank VIII

Features:

Superb aerodynamics!
Twin-engine propulsion.
Versatile arsenal.
Top speed of Mach 2.2.

Around the mid 1970s, many of the established global air powers realized the need to streamline their aircraft fleets with multi-role aircraft due to rising mission requirements as well as maintenance costs. Because of this, the French air force ordered the development of a new single-engine fourth generation fighter which would eventually result in the Mirage 2000. In parallel however, Dassault launched a private venture to further develop the Mirage 2000 into a twin-engine design, possessing a substantially improved payload and aerodynamics.

The result of this undertaking was the Mirage 4000, whose prototype first flew in March 1979. Despite flight tests showing an impressive leap in performance over preceding fighter designs, the French government hesitated to order the aircraft into production due to budgetary restraints. Because of this, the aircraft also didn’t garner much serious interest on the export market, forcing Dassault to close the program at the end of the 1980s. The sole prototype of the Mirage 4000 was subsequently used as a flying laboratory and the experience gained from it was put to use for the development of France’s next generation fighter.

Meet the Mirage 4000!

As the name already suggests, the Mirage 4000 builds upon the legacy of the Mirage family of aircraft and propels nearly all aspects of it to the next level. A sleek design, more power and increased payloads all make the Mirage 4000 stand out from the competition, but there’s a lot more to it than that! Let’s find out some more as we go into the details below.

The Mirage 4000 is the first aircraft of the Mirage family in War Thunder to break away from the traditional single-engine design and instead prominently feature a twin-engine layout. As such, the Mirage 4000 is powered by a pair of the familiar SNECMA M53-P2 turbofan jet engines. As a result, this jet can accelerate up to a maximum top speed of Mach 2.2! However, it’s not just the top speed that makes the Mirage 4000 stand out from the crowd. More importantly perhaps is the aircraft’s superb agility. Featuring the signature Mirage delta wing design, coupled with controllable canards in front of the engine air intakes gives this aircraft fantastic maneuverability at both low and high speeds. Thanks to this as well as other improvements, this jet can comfortably engage virtually any opponent it meets in the skies.

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While good aerodynamics certainly represent a good start, it’s by far not what rounds out a fully fledged fighter design. This task would fall onto the armament and the Mirage 4000 has quite something to show for in this aspect as well. Apart from its standard armament of two ventral mounted 30 mm DEFA cannons, the Mirage 4000 can equip up to 8 x R550 in one loadout, or 4 x 530D air-to-air missiles. These loadouts favor aerial engagements, but what if the mission also calls for ground strike capabilities?

Interesting: Although the Mirage 4000 never made it into production due to adverse circumstances, its advanced design and superior performance paved the way for the development of the legendary Rafale fighter.

In this case, the Mirage 4000 can boast a high degree of flexibility with its arsenal. Namely, you’ll have access to a wide assortment of guided and as well as conventional munitions. Some highlights include the familiar AS-30L Nord AGM, up to 6 x 2000 and 1000 lb bombs, as well as 2 x BGL 1000 guided bombs to name a few. As a result, the Mirage can engage a vast number of enemy ground targets, thus making it an ideal pick to put into your ground lineups!

In your matches by Alex, Aircraft Game Designer: “On this new aircraft I would advise to play with speed and work with its medium range missiles by trying to stay near to the enemy, two engines and dynamics of this aircraft will allow you to do this. A large number of short-range missiles gives you the opportunity to make even small mistakes in missile launches, unlike other French top planes, where every missile counts. Its wings will also allow you to quickly turn to the enemy, but I don’t recommend engaging in protracted maneuvers, as you’ll quickly lose valuable speed. In ground battles, the choice of weapons is very large, from missiles to guided bombs, my choice here is the AS-30L or a full set of assault bombs.”

The Mirage 4000 will soon be coming to the French aircraft tree in the next major update, “Air Superiority”! That’s this blog wrapped.In the meantime, be sure to follow the news for the latest information regarding the upcoming update. Until then, see you soon!