Dassault Mirage IIIV
| Industry | Aerospace, Defense |
|---|---|
| Founded | April 22, 1929 in France |
| Founder | Marcel Dassault |
| Headquarters | Saint-Cloud , France |
| Products | Military aircraft, civil aircraft, drones |
| Website | www |
The Dassault Mirage IIIV, occasionally written as Mirage III V, was a French prototype fighter aircraft from the mid-1960s featuring vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capabilities, developed by Dassault Aviation.
Based on the standard Dassault Mirage III, the Mirage IIIV was equipped with eight small vertical lift jet engines arranged around its primary engine to enable VTOL operations, though these lift jets remained inactive during conventional forward flight. This design emerged in response to NATO Basic Military Requirement 3 (NBMR-3), which called for a supersonic VTOL strike fighter.
The Mirage IIIV faced competition from Hawker Siddeley's P.1154, a single-engine VTOL fighter related to the Hawker Siddeley Harrier. While the Mirage IIIV promised advantages in multinational collaboration for development and manufacturing, the simpler and more dependable P.1154 was ultimately chosen to satisfy NBMR-3 criteria. Following the loss of one prototype in an accident, the program was discontinued; the remaining aircraft is currently exhibited for public viewing.
Background
In August 1961, NATO issued NBMR-3, specifying requirements for a supersonic V/STOL strike fighter capable of a combat radius of , cruising at Mach 0.92, with a dash speed of Mach 1.5 and a payload capacity of . The aircraft needed to clear a obstacle after a takeoff roll of . Securing this contract was viewed as strategically vital, potentially marking "the first true NATO combat aircraft."
During the late 1950s and early 1960s, both Dassault Aviation and British Hawker Siddeley Aviation (HSA) pursued development of VTOL combat aircraft. HSA’s lead designer Sir Sydney Camm began work on supersonic VTOL fighters, progressing from the subsonic Hawker P.1127 (which later became the Harrier) to the larger P.1150 model. However, revisions to NBMR-3 deemed the P.1150 too small, leading to its redesign as the P.1154.
In January 1962, HSA submitted the P.1154 design to NATO. Eleven competitors entered NBMR-3, including Dassault's Mirage IIIV, which secured considerable British support through involvement from British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) and endorsements from segments of the British Air Staff. Although the P.1154 offered technical superiority due to its simpler single-engine configuration, Mirage IIIV’s multinational development approach made it politically appealing.
By May 1962, the P.1154 was announced as the winner of NBMR-3 because of Mirage IIIV’s complexity—carrying nine engines compared to one on the P.1154—but no procurement followed since NATO lacked centralized funding for purchases. The initiative concluded in 1965.
Despite France’s withdrawal from NBMR-3 after Mirage IIIV was rejected, Dassault continued advancing prototype development independently.
Dassault Balzac V
With delays in delivery of the Rolls-Royce RB162 lift engines needed for the Mirage IIIV until 1963, Dassault converted an early Mirage III prototype into a temporary VTOL test platform named the Balzac V. This aircraft utilized eight Rolls-Royce RB.108 lift jets alongside a single unreheated Bristol Orpheus BOr 3 main engine. A primary objective was to test and validate autopilot functions and lift-transition mechanisms planned for use on the Mirage IIIV. The Balzac achieved tethered hovering starting on 12 October 1962 and accomplished untethered hover six days afterward. Its initial transition from hover to horizontal flight took place on 18 March 1963. The program experienced two fatal crashes in January 1964 and September 1965; following the latter incident, the aircraft was not repaired.
Mirage IIIV Prototypes
Insights gained from the Balzac program guided the development of two larger Mirage IIIV prototypes, each approximately double the size of its predecessor. The initial prototype performed its maiden hover test on 12 February 1965, utilizing a single Pratt & Whitney JTF10 turbofan, designated TF104. This engine had previously undergone trials on the Mirage IIIT, a modified Mirage IIIC variant adapted to accommodate it. Subsequently, the TF104 was upgraded to the TF106 model, delivering 74.5 kN (16,750 lbf) of thrust before the prototype transitioned to forward flight in March 1966, reaching speeds up to Mach 1.32 during evaluation.
The second prototype took flight in June 1966, equipped with a more potent TF306 turbofan generating 82.4 kN (18,500 lbf) of thrust. By September, it attained Mach 2.04 in level flight but was lost in a crash on 28 November 1966. Notably, the Mirage IIIV never accomplished a mission combining vertical takeoff and supersonic flight in a single operation.
The destruction of the second prototype effectively terminated the project and dashed any immediate hopes for a Mach 2-capable VTOL fighter. While the rival Hawker P.1154 program was canceled in 1965, its subsonic counterpart—the Hawker-Siddeley Kestrel—progressed through international trials. France remained supportive of the Mirage IIIV; however, the international collaboration required for the P.1154 did not come to fruition.
Although development aspects of the P.1154 influenced the successful Harrier VTOL fighter derived from the Kestrel, the Mirage IIIV's design—featuring eight dedicated lift engines—introduced considerable maintenance complexities and imposed strict limitations on operational range and payload capacity, ultimately making it unsuitable as a frontline combat aircraft.
Design
The Dassault Mirage IIIV was engineered as a supersonic-capable vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) fighter jet. Its overall configuration resembled earlier Mirage models but incorporated a lengthened and widened fuselage along with enlarged wings, resulting in a substantially larger airframe than its contemporaries. Similar to the Balzac V experimental platform, it employed nine engines: one SNECMA-enhanced Pratt & Whitney JTF10 turbofan (TF104) producing 61.8 kN (13,900 lbf) thrust for cruise propulsion, complemented by eight Rolls-Royce RB162-1 turbojets each providing 15.7 kN (3,525 lbf) thrust dedicated to vertical lift.
A distinctive feature designed to optimize vertical flight performance included movable thrust deflector doors situated beneath the aircraft. These doors tilted rearwards at a 45° angle while on the ground to deflect debris and hot exhaust gases, then lowered fully to a 90° angle at maximum power output to enhance lift efficiency. The Mirage IIIV's flight envelope encompassed speeds near Mach 1.15 at low altitudes and up to Mach 2.3 at higher elevations.
The development of onboard electronics represented a major focus area and contributed significantly to budget overruns throughout the program. Numerous cockpit instruments and auxiliary electronic components were later adapted for use in the conventional Mirage IIIF model, which ultimately evolved into the Dassault Mirage F1.
Bibliography
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