Dassault Mirage IV was a "cold-war" supersonic delta winged strategic bomber with nuclear weapons capability which first flew in June 1959. Produced between 1963 and 1968 a total of 62 aircraft were built, the last being retired in 2005 although it's strategic nuclear bomber role had already been taken over since 1996 by the newer Mirage 2000N bomber. It is of note that the independent effective nuclear deterrent provided by the Dassault Mirage IV was instrumental in the French Government's decision in 1966 to leave NATO and the nuclear umbrella it had provided. Dassault Mirage IVa Specifications: - Crew: Pilot AND navigator
- Length: 23.50 m (77 ft)
- Wingspan: 11.84 m (38 ft 11 in)
- Height: 5.65 m (18 ft 6 in)
- Empty weight: 14,500 kg (32,000 lb)
- Loaded weight: 31,600 kg (69,700 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 33,475 kg (73,645 lb)
- Engines: Twin 75.61 kN (31,750 lb) thrust SNECMA Atar 9K-50 turbojets
- Maximum speed: Mach 2.2 (2,350 km/h, 1,468 mph)
- Combat radius: 1,240 km (670 nm, 775 mi)
- Service ceiling 20,000 m (66,000 ft)
- Rate of climb: 43.1 m/s (8,490 ft/min)
Armament: - 1964 to 1967 - Single AN-11 free-fall nuclear bomb
- 1967 to 1988 - Single AN-22 free-fall nuclear bomb
- 1988 to 1996 - Single ASMP stand-off nuclear bomb
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