Mirage IIIDP ROSE III: A Rare Bloom

Armen_Lozone · February 27, 2026, 8:56pm

Mirage IIIDP ROSE III

A Rare Bloom

History and introduction

Project R.O.S.E.
In 1992, following a period of realisation that previous blind dependence on the west for military support and procurements was a recipe for disaster, the Pakistan Air Force, struggling with a hypocrticial ecnomic and military embargo by the US (due to Pakistans Atomic weapons program), decided to modernise their current fleet of Mirage fighters. Since purchasing F-16s would not be possible for a while until the US needed their assistance in the region again, they turned their attention to extending the service life of their Mirage family. PAF was already very adept at maintaining their mirages. They had dedicated factories (Mirage Rebuild Factory - MRF) for the upkeep of the airframes and engines.

The R.O.S.E. program, or Retrofit Of Strike Element, alongside Project Sabre II was to be the way PAF kept their flags proud and high. The upgrades were divided into stages from I to IV. Participants included the Pakistani Margalla electronics, DESTO, GIDS, NIE, French SAGEM, and Italian SELEX companies.
Most of the aircraft were upgraded at Pakistan Aeronautical Complex at Kamra while some were sent over to France with Dassault and SAGEM. The airframes were even paraded around in various airshows with the french companies demonstrating the various upgrades to other international customers. The first ROSE III aircraft was even displayed at Paris Air Show 2005.

ROSE I: 1990s

ROSE I upgrades were primarily aimed at the Mirage III, specifically the batch of 50 IIIO airframes purchased from the Royal Austrialian Airforce. The upgrade consisted of replacing the old radar with a FIAR Grifo M3 TWS+NCTR capable radar set (copy of APG68),
BMKJ/8602 RWR,
Avionics including new HUD,
HOTAS,
MFDs,
Radar altimeters,
INS,
GPS
and a new glass cockpit.
New weaponry was also integrated, that being the Aim-9L Sidewinder and the Mirage’s R-530 was also integrated into the new radar.
An IFR (in-flight refuelling) probe of South African origin was also integrated into the right side of the exterior of the cockpit on Mirage III ROSE I fighters.

ROSE II: 1996

ROSE II as the second stage of upgrades, but this time, for the Mirage 5F and 5DF. They were given new avionics (the SAGEM MAESTRO Nav/Attack system),
encrypted radio sets,
HOTAS
and NVD compatible cockpits
as well as pilot helmet sights for night vision.
A FLIR sight was installed in a small pod on the fuselage under the cockpit as well as the countermeasure dispensers being doubled bringing CMs to 108 (72 small and 36 large).

ROSE III: 2004

ROSE III was the largest upgrade for the series as Mirage 5Fs bought from the French Air Force were overhauled and integrated with a new navigation and attack suite (the SAGEM MAESTRO Nav/Attack system) and EW systems.
Weaponry integrated was more than ever before includin glide bombs, retarded bombs, rockets and long range PGMs like the H-2 and H-4 missiles with TV/IR/MITL guidance. In essence, it was ROSE II but weapon integration focused.

ROSE IV

The ROSE IV stage was going to be the last stage which was planned to integrate a new targeting pod called the DART, a derivative of the Lightening. Other upgrades included an optional new (diffrent) RWR, countermeasure dispensers and Aim-9M integration. According to wiki, this upgrade didnt take place, however with publically available photos it is seen that these upgrades were carried out anyway albeit without the name of ROSE IV and only on ROSE III aircraft.

The Mirage IIIDP ROSE III

The Mirage III DP (Dualseat Pakistan) was a trainer variant of the Mirage III jet fighter made specifically for the Pakistan Air force. An order for 3 aircraft was put in to Dassault in 1979 followed up by 2 more in 1970. Acquisitions of these aircraft were part of Blue Flash VI, a series of procurements by the PAF of Mirage fighter aircraft from different Airforces and suppliers around the world.

The Mirage III DP, being a trainer primarily, had its radar removed to make space for the second pilot. What is rare, astouding even, is that these specific Mirage IIIs were brought up to the ROSE III standard. Not only is ROSE III restricted to Mirage Vs, but Mirage IIIs were never upgraded past ROSE I. Which is why these IIIDP ROSE IIIs are particularly interesting.

These dual seater Mirage III’s were converted to fulfill similar roles to the Mirage V after both aircraft have been given ROSE III and further upgrades. These aircraft now posses double the Countermeasures, a new RWR, an in-flight refuelling probe, compatibility with more western weapons such as the Aim-9L, and Aim-9Li. For CAS they posses an assortment of guided and unguided weaponry. For the full list please read speciications.

Specifications

Crew: 2 (pilot, Co-pilot/instructor)
Max Speed: 2,350kmph @12km
Max Altitude 17km
Engine: 1 x SCENMA ATAR 09C afterburning turbojet
Max Thrust: 41.9KN, 60.8KN with reheat
Unladen weight: 5,340 kg (Mirage IIIA)
MTOW: 13,700kg

Armaments

2 x 30mm DEFA cannons
2 x Aim-9B, 9P-5? (smokeless motor variant), 9L, 9Li, 9Li-1, 9M, R550 Magic 1
1 x R530 (IR version) (since this is a Mirage 3, unlike the mirage 5, it can carry AAMs on its center pylon)
PL-7
Durandal Anti runway bombs
Taimoor ALCM
RAAD stealth cruise missile
Tabkir GBU
MAR-1
H-4 Stand off weapon (Raptor AGM)
AZB GPS Guided Glide bombs
Al Battar Laser guided bombs
Dumb bombs (attachable to drop tanks) (BL-755)
Retarded bombs
Napalm bombs
Rockets (attachable to drop tanks)
AS-20 AGM
AS-30 and 30L AGMs
Cluster bombs