Mirage 50CN Pantera

Chilean_Thunder · July 23, 2023, 2:21am

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History:

In 1979, Chile bought 16 Mirage 50 aircraft from Avions Marcel Dassault - Breguet Aviation (AMD). The first eight Mirage 50 FC (500 to 507, later the 500 would be re-registered 508) were delivered to Chile in 1980, then between 1982 and 1983 they received 6 corresponding to the Mirage 50C model (509 to 514) that came equipped with the AGAVE radar and finally two Mirage 50 DC trainers (515 and 516) were received, all of them already in Chile in 1983. Before being delivered to Chile, these aircraft were modified by changing the original Atar 9C engine, which was replaced by an Atar 9K-50 that contributed 7,200 kg push full power. Chile began the first known modernization program as “Bracket”, this new program was implemented by the Chilean national company ENAER under the advice and support of Israel Aircraft Industries Ltd., the plane that was used as a prototype was the Mirage 50C series 514 that incorporated vortex generator fillets in the aircraft radar cone and canard fins and was unveiled during FIDA 86 and renamed as Mirage 50CN.

The Mirage 50C No. 514, which had been a Project Bracket test bed, is now undergoing Project Pantera modifications

Later, it was decided to implement even more updates and improvements to the Mirage 50, becoming the most important modernization project in the history of Chile; In addition, the landing gear was replaced by another similar to those used by IA Kfir aircraft, in order to be able to lift heavier external loads, and the integration of a new nose section Kfir style that extended its nose by one meter length, this change allowed the integration of navigation equipment of British origin and the integration of a new radar, the ELTA EL/M2001B manufactured in Israel.

ENAER specialists proceed to fix the new nose on the fuselage of aircraft No. 514

All these changes were implemented in the same first plane, the Mirage 50C 514 series, which was presented with all the new improvements in 1988, being renamed “Pantera” and all these improvements being implemented in the other Mirage 50s. Initially the planes " Pantera" operated the Shafrir 2 but from 1993 the Israeli Python III missile was approved throughout the fleet, in addition a modernization kit called Griffin from Israel was integrated for the Mk.82 / Mk.83 and Mk. 84 and for 1995 the LGB Griffin were part of the “Pantera” fleet that would later be inherited for the Mirage M-5MA Elkan. Regarding the plane’s electronics, it integrated more evolved versions of the Caiquén and Eclipse developed in the early 1980s by the Electronics Department of the Chilean Air Force Research Directorate. These developments were taken over by the company Desarrollo de Tecnologías y Sistemas (DTS) who integrated a complete suite of locally developed electronic countermeasures into the two aforementioned products. This suite received the name DM/A-401 and was the last component intended for the electronic protection of the aircraft, Caiquén was the development destined to alert the pilots of the emission of enemy radars, being this device capable of identifying if the signal of a radar came from a surveillance, acquisition or fire control equipment, both terrestrial and aerial. The system had a weight that did not exceed 10 kg. Having a coverage of 360º in azimuth and +/- 40º in elevation, Eclipse consisted of a passive self-defense system intended to disturb active radars or IR missiles. As of 1996, the aerial refueling probe was added. Finally, on December 28, 2007, the entire Pantera fleet was decommissioned.

Detail of the mid-air refueling lance, detail of Pantera’s Canards fins, detail of RWR’s antenna on drift, detail of Pantera’s ECM dispenser

Beautiful illustration of a Mirage 50CN

Specifications:

Crew:
- 1
Armament:
- Primary: 2x 30mm DEFA 552A internal cannons
- Secondary: hardpoint mountings 7 support 4,000 kg:
  - Bombs: Cardoen APF Bombs (APF 82, 83, 84), Cardoen GP Bombs (Mk 81, 82, 83, 84), Cardoen Cluster Bombs (CB-130, CB-500, CB-250-K, CB-500-K, CB-500-K2, CB-770), FAMAE GP Bombs (Mk 81, 82, 83, 84), ALAMANT Napalm Bombs (30, 60, 100 gallons), Ferrimar Cluster Bombs (WB-250-F, WB-500-F), LGB Griffin.
  - Missiles: Shafrir 2, Python III.
  - Rockets: 68mm SNEB rocket pods.
Dimensions:
- Lenght: 17.0 m
- Wingspan: 8.22 m
- Height: 4.50 m
- Empty weight: 7,150 kg
- Weight maximum take-off: 13,700 kg
Performance:
- Powerplant: Atar 9K-50 that provides 5,000 kg Normal thrust, 7,200 kg. thrust at full power
- Maximum speed: 2350 km/h
- Service Ceiling: 18000 m
- Range: 4000 km
- Rate of climb: 186 m/s