Editing Dassault Mirage III (section)

===Argentina===
====Falklands War====
{{main|Argentine air forces in the Falklands War}}
[[File:Argentina Air Force Dassault Mirage IIIEA Lofting-3.jpg|thumb|Argentina Air Force Dassault Mirage-IIIEA]]
The Argentine Air Force deployed their Mirage IIIEA fleet during the 1982 [[Falklands War]]. Their ability to function as long-range strike aircraft was dramatically hindered by the type's lack of any [[aerial refueling]] capability; even when furnished with a pair of 2,000-litre (550-gallon) drop tanks to carry extra fuel, the Mirages (and Israeli-built [[IAI Dagger|Daggers]]) would be forced to fly up to the absolute limit of their range in order to even reach the British fleet from the mainland. Normally, the fighters would be sent to engage patrolling British [[British Aerospace Sea Harrier|Harrier jets]] and to provide air cover to a [[Douglas A-4 Skyhawk]] strike force; however, they would have no more than five minutes at most over the combat area before having to embark upon the return flight back to their [[Aerodrome|airfields]].<ref>Hezsely, Csaba B. [http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/apj/apj02/fal02/corum.html "Argentine Airpower in the Falklands War."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102191905/http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/apj/apj02/fal02/corum.html |date=2 January 2014 }} ''United States Air Force'', 12 January 1989.</ref>

Usually, Argentine Mirages were flown with an armament consisting of one [[Matra R530]] or a pair of [[R550 Magic|Magic 1]] AAMs. They only entered direct combat once, resulting in one of the Mirages being shot down by an [[AIM-9 Sidewinder|AIM-9L Sidewinder]] fired by a Harrier, and another destroyed by [[friendly fire]] after attempting to land on the runway at [[Stanley, Falkland Islands|Port Stanley]] when nearly out of fuel. The fighters were frequently deployed to conduct diversion flights, flying at a very high altitude to force a response from the patrolling British Harriers to improve the chances of survival and success of the attack force. Additionally, a number of Mirages were also kept on a high state of alert against possible [[Avro Vulcan]] raids upon targets within the Argentine mainland, as well as to serve as a deterrence against aggressive flights by neighbouring [[Chile]] conducted upon Argentina's western border.<ref>Carballo, Pablo. ''Halcones Sobre Malvinas'' (in Spanish). Cruzamante, 1985. {{ISBN|950-9294-07-1}}</ref>