Report on Mirage 2000

The History and Development of the Aircraft

Aircraft Configuration

As with the whole Mirage family the Mirage 2000 has low mounted Delta wing with clipped tips. The advantage of delta wings is that when the aircraft breaks the sound barrier the leading edges are still behind the shock wave. The shape of a delta wing also allows the wing to be built stronger and cheaper than a conventional wing.

The aircraft does not have conventional elevation control surfaces; instead the elevators are integrated with the ailerons to create elevons. The combination of these control surfaces renders the horizontal tail plane surplus. The removal of the tail plane reduces the form drag.

The Mirage 2000 uses a single SNECMA M53-P2 (or M53-P20) turbofan to generate its thrust. The M53 engine is housed inside the fuselage. It has 2 semi circular intakes either side of the canopy, and the exhaust extends past the vertical fin.

The rudder is located on the vertical fin near the rear of the aircraft fuselage, and is made from an aluminium, carbon, epoxy, and glass fiber combination.

Flight Controls

The flight controls in all of the Mirage 2000 series are fly by wire. The controls and their movements are listed on the table below and the location of the flight controls are shown on Fig 1.

Main Aircraft Systems

The Dassult Mirage stores the majority of its fuel in the wings as most aircraft do, and the volume stored varies across the different versions of the plane, which can be seen in the Figures section. The aircraft also has a capability to carry drop tanks under each wing to add further fuel capacity, and in some versions of the aircraft there is an additional tank under the centre of the fuselage. The Mirage can also perform air to air refueling with a probe forward of the cockpit on the starboard side. Air to air refueling can be very useful when the aircraft needs to get in the air with a full payload of weapons and cannot carry as much fuel.

Inside the Mirage there is either 1 or 2 seats, depending on the version. The seats are ejectable and are initiated by the pilot in case of emergency. The canopies are hinged and rotate upwards out of the way of the pilot when he ejects. On the Mirage 2000D the canopy is covered in gold film to reduce radar signature.The cockpit is also air conditioned and pressurised for high altitude flight.

There are 2 hydraulic systems in the mirage 2000, they run the flying controls, landing gears, and brakes. The landing gear are arranged in a tricycle shape with one front wheel and two rear wheels. All of the wheels retract into the body of the aircraft and some detail can be seen in the General Arrangement Drawing.

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Termination

In conclusion the Mirage 2000 series are an adaptable series of aircraft that have changed with the threats of the time. It has sold well across the world and continues to do so. Although not a revolutionary aircraft it still plays a part in history as Europe’s answer to the arms race. Due to the nature of the Cold War when this aircraft was born, it has not seen a huge amount action, although it has performed well in the combat it has been involved in.  

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References

• Jane's All The World's Aircraft 2008/2009 publisher: Jane's Information Group by Paul A. Jackson (Editor)
• Aircraft Systems: Mechanical, Electrical, and Avionics Subsystems Integration by Ian Moir and Allan Seabridge 2nd Edition
• The World Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft (Hardcover) by Enzo Angelucci (Author) 1986
• Illustrated Anatomy of the World's Fighters  by William Green (Author), Gordon Swanborough (Author) (16 Feb 1982)  
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Figures

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Data file

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