Single-letter suffixes are used in other applications, such as the Mirage III R tactical reconnaissance variant, Mirage 2000 N two-seat nuclear strike aircraft, and Rafale M single-seat model used in the maritime environment by the French Navy. Table 1 lists the most commonly used Dassault aircraft model suffixes across its four most prolific fighter / attack aircraft designs. The letter A might be used for a prototype, such as with the Mirage III A and Rafale A, but the Mirage F1 A was the first operational variant and the author was unable to find any reference to a Mirage 2000 A (the prototype was listed as the 2000-01). Not surprisingly, however, there are exceptions to the rule. Dassault assigns standard alphanumeric suffixes to denote aircraft particulars, such as E for export. Draken mirage f1 series#This article focuses on naming conventions used by France and Sweden.ĭassault Aviation is a 90-year-old France-based international aircraft manufacturer responsible for many military designs, such as the Rafale and Mirage series of fighters as well as strategic bombers. Examples include the Panavia Tornado, SEPECAT Jaguar, and Eurofighter Typhoon. Instead, resulting designs typically feature a simple two-part assignment: one based on the project, the other a catchy name. It bears mentioning up front that while standards are used by some countries, namely France and Sweden, multi-national consortiums tend to follow no particular standard. NATO designations do not apply as the countries involved are indeed NATO members. Here in part 2 we will address European combat aircraft conventions which consists of indigenous terms only. The British-built jet flying on a mission for the Air Force wobbled, veered off the left side of the base runway and eventually hit the pickup.In part 1 of our Aircraft Nomenclature series we explored the conventions used in naming Russian and Chinese military aircraft-both indigenously and NATO-assigned. The 23-year-old from Kenosha, Wisconsin, was in a pickup truck providing safety oversight for a construction crew working alongside the runway at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma.Ī final National Transportation Safety Board report said the pilot of the BAE Systems Hawk jet took off at too low a speed on March 11, 2015. Other nations also operated the jet.ĪTAC bought 63 retired French F1 jets and took possession of the last one in 2019, according to a posting on the company’s Facebook page.Īnother crash of a military contractor aircraft happened in 2015 in southern Arizona, killing Marine Lance Cpl. It was designed in the late 1960s and saw service in the French air force before being retired in the mid-2010s. The Mirage F1 is a supersonic, single-engine all-weather fighter that can also perform ground attack and reconnaissance roles. Air Force pilot, was working for military contractor Draken International. Hamilton ejected shortly before the plane hit the ground. The May 24 crash happened after Hamilton had an inflight emergency, and the plane crashed into a neighborhood, bursting into flames. The pilot - Nicholas Hunter Hamilton, 43, of Las Vegas - died. A jet operated by a different contractor crashed in Las Vegas last year as the pilot came in to land at Nellis Air Force Base. The crash was the second involving a Mirage F1 operated by a contractor in the past year. It provides aggressor aircraft to help military fighter pilots learn their trade as well as other services to the military. The company, known as ATAC, is one of a growing number of contractors that fly aircraft to help train military aviators and operates the F1 and other former military jets. The pilot’s identity has not been released, but he was flying for Airborne Tactical Advantage Co., a Newport News, Va., company that contracts with the military. The wreckage has been recovered and will be examined by investigators who are trying to determine the cause of the crash. The pilot suffered minor injuries and the plane crashed about 16 miles (26 kilometers) northwest of the base. When he determined he was too far away from Luke to get the plane safely on the runway he steered the jet out into an open desert area and ejected. The pilot told investigators that he tried to restart the jet’s engine but that effort failed.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |