Dassault Aviation’s Rafale is arguably one of the most versatile 4.5-generation fighter jets. Although it initially struggled to secure export orders, the French combat aircraft has experienced high demand over the past few years.
The Rafale entered operational service with the French Navy in 2001 and with the French Air Force in 2004.
However, Dassault received no export orders till 2015. But since then, eight countries have placed orders for Rafale aircraft, including India, Egypt, Qatar, Greece, Serbia, Croatia, the UAE, and Indonesia.
However, its biggest export order is yet to come.
Reportedly, India is expected to sign a government-to-government contract with France to buy 114 additional Rafale jets, bringing its export orders to nearly 400.
Notably, this will be India’s third Rafale order. New Delhi ordered 36 Rafales in 2016, and followed through with an order for 26 Rafale M jets in 2025.
The anticipated Indian order for 114 additional Rafales will further boost the French jet’s appeal in the export market. Reportedly, countries like Indonesia, Greece, and Egypt can also place follow-up orders, and Taiwan is also considering buying the jet.
The back-to-back orders from eight countries have established Rafale as a highly successful fighter jet in the export market. However, Rafale’s success in the 21st century is somewhat linked to the commercial failure of another French jet in the late 1980s.
In fact, had that French jet been a commercial success, there was even a possibility that Rafale might never have seen the light of day.
That French combat aircraft was the Mirage-4000, a twin-engine heavy fighter jet based on the single-engine Mirage-2000. Mirage-4000 was far ahead of its time, and many of the technologies that became the defining features of Rafale had their roots in it.
So, why, despite sharing the iconic Mirage-2000’s pedigree, did the Mirage-4000 become a commercial liability and never enter serial production?
Dassault Aviation’s Mirage-4000
The history of aviation is littered with projects that never broke through and reached full production. The Mirage-4000 is one such project that could never achieve its true potential and never got past the prototype stage.
Many people believe that after Mirage-2000, Dassault Aviation’s next project was Rafale. However, between these two legendary combat aircraft, Dassault also produced another promising fighter jet, far ahead of its time and often considered the missing link between Mirage-2000 and Rafale.
The decision to launch work on a twin-engine aircraft concurrently with the single-engine Mirage 2000 was taken by Dassault authorities in September 1976. Since the Mirage 4000 is a technological upgrade of the Mirage 2000, the design and construction of the two new aircraft were carried out simultaneously.
Since Dassault Aviation received no orders from the French defense ministry, the development work for Mirage-4000 was self-financed by the aerospace company.
Jet engines were borrowed from the government under the June 21, 1978, agreement with the Minister of Defense. The Snecma M53 engines were taken from the stockpile of the Mirage 2000 program.
The Mirage 2000 first flew in 1978, and on March 9, 1979, one year after its delivery, the one-seat Mirage 4000, powered by two Snecma M53 engines, flew for the first time.
Interestingly, the Mirage-2000 provided an analogue to the American F-16 Fighting Falcon; both were lightweight single-engine multi-role fighter jets.
Whereas the Mirage-4000 was comparable to the American F-15 Eagle, or the Soviet Su-30, as all three were twin-engine, heavyweight, all-weather, multirole fighters designed for air superiority and strike missions.
Composite materials used in the Mirage 4000 enabled significant weight reduction and excellent fatigue resistance. The Mirage 4000 was the world’s first aircraft to have a fin made from a carbon-coated composite containing petrol.
The two Snecma M 53 engines with 10-ton thrust ratings put the Mirage’s weight-to-thrust ratio above one. It had a fuel tank capacity three times greater than that of the Mirage 2000 and could also be refueled in flight.
From its sixth flight, the Mirage 4000 achieved Mach 2, demonstrating exceptional performance. It confirmed predictions by reaching 50,000 feet at Mach 2 in 3 minutes and 50 seconds.
The king of Saudi Arabia and the Shah of Iran were interested in the Mirage 4000 program even before its first flight. Although serious talks went on, no agreement on the sale was reached.
Interestingly, as per reports, even India was keen on the Mirage 4000 aircraft. “Sources said that senior officials from both the Defence Ministry and the IAF (Indian Air Force) had already checked out Mirage 4000 and had expressed satisfaction with its performance and the features provided by the French manufacturer.”
Sources indicated that, because the IAF was already operating the Mirage 2000, the Mirage 4000 was considered an optimal choice, with officials expressing satisfaction with its performance and features.
No order was placed for the five planned production models, and commercialization abroad became very uncertain. Since Dassault received no orders, it decided to kill the Mirage-4000 project.
However, had the French Air Force supported the program in its initial stages by ordering some Mirage-4000 jets, it could have become a successful project, just as the Mirage-2000.
For instance, France did not win any export orders for the Rafale for over a decade, but the government decided to support it by ordering substantial numbers for the French Air Force and Navy.
After struggling for export orders for over a decade, Rafale suddenly became a huge success in the export market. Had the French government decided to support the Mirage-4000, there is no reason it would not have succeeded in the export market, just as the Mirage-2000 and Rafale.
So, why did the French government not support the Mirage-4000?
While many factors would have influenced the French government’s decision, one of the main reasons was Mirage-4000’s large size and weight, which made it unsuitable for carrier operations.
It is worth recalling that France also participated in the early stages of the Eurofighter Typhoon program. From 1983 to 1985, France contributed to feasibility studies, requirements discussions, and early planning.
However, France withdrew from the Eurofighter project because Paris wanted a carrier-capable fighter jet, whereas the European partners were not keen on this aspect.
When France contracted Dassault to design the Rafale, one of its key requirements was that the fighter jet be capable of operating from aircraft carriers.
France was very keen on this aspect because it wanted to avoid relying on the American F/A-18 Hornet to maintain its strategic autonomy.
At the same time, due to its limited financial resources, France could not have supported two different fighter jet programs simultaneously, one for the air force and another for the navy.
Therefore, France did not support the Mirage-4000 and asked Dassault to design a new fighter jet that could fulfill the needs of both the French Air Force and the Navy.
The Mirage-4000, therefore, died a quiet death despite being a promising platform.
- Sumit Ahlawat has over a decade of experience in news media. He has worked with Press Trust of India, Times Now, Zee News, Economic Times, and Microsoft News. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Media and Modern History from the University of Sheffield, UK.
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