Editing Dassault Mirage III (section)

===Derivatives===

====Mirage 5/Mirage 50====
{{main|Dassault Mirage 5}}

The next major variant, the ''Mirage 5'', grew out of a request to Dassault from the [[Israeli Air Force]]. The first Mirage 5 flew on 19 May 1967. It looked much like the Mirage III, except it had a long slender nose that extended the aircraft's length by about half a meter. The Mirage 5 itself led directly to the Israeli [[IAI Nesher|''Nesher'']], either through a [[Mossad]] (Israeli intelligence) intelligence operation or through covert cooperation with AdA, depending upon which story is accepted. (See details in the ''Nesher'' article). In either case, the design gave rise to the [[IAI Kfir|''Kfir'']], which can be considered a direct descendant of the ''Mirage III''.

====Milan====
In 1968, Dassault, in cooperation with the Swiss, began work on a Mirage update known as the '''Milan''' ("[[Kite (bird)|Kite]]"). The main feature of the ''Milan'' was a pair of pop-out foreplanes in the nose, which were referred to as "''moustaches''". The moustaches were intended to provide better take-off performance and low-speed control for the attack role. The three initial prototypes were converted from existing Mirage fighters; one of these prototypes was nicknamed "[[Asterix]]", after the internationally popular French cartoon character, a tough little Gallic warrior with a huge moustache.<ref name = "prof 178">Brindley 1971, p. 178.</ref>

A fully equipped prototype rebuilt from a ''Mirage IIIR'' flew in May 1970, and was powered by the uprated {{convert|70.6|kN|lbf|abbr=on}} afterburning thrust [[SNECMA Atar 09K-50]] engine, following the evaluation of an earlier model of this new series on the one-off ''Mirage IIIC2''. The Milan also had updated avionics, including a laser designator and rangefinder in the nose. A second fully equipped prototype was produced for Swiss evaluation as the ''Milan S''. The canards did provide significant handling benefits, but they had drawbacks. They blocked the pilot's forward view to an extent, and set up turbulence in the engine intakes. The Milan concept was abandoned in 1972, while work continued on achieving the same goals with canards.{{Citation needed|date=January 2013}}

====Mirage IIING====
[[File:Dassault Mirage IIING, France - Air Force AN1242270.jpg|thumb|Mirage IIING]]

Following the development of the Mirage 50, Dassault had experimented with yet another derivative of the original Mirage series, named the ''Mirage IIING'' (''Nouvelle Génération'', new generation). Like the Milan and Mirage 50, the IIING was powered by the Atar 9K-50 engine. The prototype, a conversion of a Mirage IIIR, flew on 21 December 1982.<ref name="WAPJ15 p104">Jackson ''World Air Power Journal'' Volume 15, p. 104.</ref>

The Mirage IIING had a modified delta wing with leading-edge root extensions, plus a pair of fixed canards fitted above and behind the air intakes. The aircraft's avionics were completely modernized, making use of the parallel development effort underway for the next-generation [[Dassault Mirage 2000|Mirage 2000]] fighter. Chiefly amongst these changes, the Mirage IIING used a [[fly-by-wire]] system to allow control over the aircraft's [[relaxed stability]]. The aircraft had an improved nav/attack system with [[inertial navigation]] and a [[head-up display]]. A variety of radars could be fitted, including the Cyrano IV and Agave and these could be supplemented by a laser rangefinder. The uprated engine and aerodynamics improved take-off and sustained turn performance.<ref name="WAPJ15 p1045">Jackson ''World Air Power Journal'' Volume 15, pp. 104–105.</ref><ref name="jawa84p612">Taylor 1984, pp. 61–62.</ref>

Ultimately, the type never went into production, but to an extent the Mirage IIING was a demonstrator for various technologies that could be and were featured in upgrades to existing Mirage IIIs and Mirage 5s. After 1989, enhancements derived from the Mirage IIING were incorporated into Brazilian Mirage IIIEs, as well as into four ex-''Armée de l'Air'' Mirage IIIEs that were transferred to Brazil in 1988. In 1989, Dassault offered a similar upgrade refit of ex-AdA Mirage IIIEs under the designation ''Mirage IIIEX'', featuring canards, a fixed [[in-flight refueling]] probe, a longer nose, new avionics, and other refinements.{{Citation needed|date=January 2013}}

====Balzac / Mirage IIIV====
{{main|Dassault Mirage IIIV|Dassault Balzac V}}
One of the offshoots of the Mirage III/5/50 fighter family tree was the ''Mirage IIIV'' vertical take-off and landing ([[VTOL]]) fighter. ("IIIV" is read "three-vee," not "three-five").<ref name = "prof 179">Brindley 1971, pp. 179.</ref> This aircraft featured eight small vertical [[lift jet]]s straddling the main engine. The Mirage IIIV was built in response to a mid-1960s [[NATO]] specification for a VTOL strike fighter. It used eight RB.162-31 lift engines(generating 5,400&nbsp;lb thrust each), long-stroke landing gears, and additional covers to reduce impact of the lift engine exhausts. The main engine was a SNECMA TF-104 turbojet.<ref name="Mirage III fighter jet family, AirForceWorld.com">{{cite news |url=http://airforceworld.com/fighter/eng/mirage3.htm |access-date=26 August 2013 |title=Mirage III fighter jet family, AirForceWorld.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130919185000/http://www.airforceworld.com/fighter/eng/mirage3.htm |archive-date=19 September 2013 }}</ref>

====Mirage III ROSE====
{{main|Project ROSE}}

Project ROSE (Retrofit Of Strike Element) was an upgrade programme launched by the [[Pakistan Air Force]] to upgrade old Dassault Mirage III and [[Mirage 5]] aircraft with modern avionics. In the early 1990s, the PAF procured 50 ex-Australian Mirage III fighters, 33 of which were selected after an inspection to undergo upgrades. In the first phases of Project ROSE, the ex-Australian Mirage III fighters were fitted with new defensive systems and cockpits, which included new HUDs, MFDs, RWRs, HOTAS controls, radar altimeters and [[nav/attack system|navigation/attack systems]]. They were also fitted with the FIAR Grifo M3 multi-mode radar and designated ''ROSE I''. Around 34 [[Mirage 5]] attack fighters also underwent upgrades designated ''ROSE II'' and ''ROSE III'' before Project ROSE was completed.