France its Delta Winged Stork

The French Air Force operate and has operated a number of variants of the iconic Dassault Mirage 2000, one of the versions that is currently in use by the French Air Force is the Mirage 2000-5F. While the other jets of the French Air Force are multirole platforms the Mirage 2000-5F is the last dedicated air defence platform within the French Air Force.

Developed in the 70’s, the mirage 2000 is a delta wing 4th generation fighter developed by Dassault to replace the Mirage 3 within the French Air Force. The French Air Force used to operate five different versions of the Mirage 2000 but since the retirement of the Mirage 2000N and 2000C only three versions remain, the Mirage 2000B for training, the Mirage 2000D for ground attack and the Mirage 2000-5F for air defence. The Mirage 2000-5F is a version developed from the Mirage 2000C and has received a number of upgrades such as a more advanced radar , HOTAS (Hands On Throttle And Stick and a state of the art INS. In addition, the legacy cockpit of the Mirage 2000C was replaced by a glass cockpit in the Mirage 2000-5F. A total of 37 Mirage 2000C’s have been updated to the Mirage 2000-5F standard bij the French Air Force and these are all operated by Escadron de Chasse 1/2 Cigognes currently based at BA116 Luxeuil-Saint Sauveur airbase. Besides being based at BA116, the aircraft are also deployed to forward operating bases in the Middle East and Africa.

BA116 Luxeuil-Saint Sauveur airbase is located near the Swiss border and originates from 1916 when the famous Escadrille La Fayette was formed at this location. During the First World War the airfield was mainly used for reconnaissance missions over the battlefield reporting troop movements as such. The airfield was brought up to NATO standard in 1950 with the first jet fighter, a DeHavilland Vampire, landing there in 1952. In 1958 the airbase was officially named after Lieutenant-Colonel Papin which name it still has until this day.

Escadron de Chasse 1/2 Cigognes heritage dates back to before World War 1 when Escadrille 3 was created in 1912 and was equipped with the Bleriot IX. The unit currently consists of three escadrilles within its Escadron. Namely SPA 26, SPA 103 and SPA 12. All have a variant of a stork as their emblem. The decision to use a stork as a emblem was made by Commandant Felix Brocard during the first world war in 1916 as the unit moved around a lot and the local villagers referred to these movements as the migration of storks. Escadrille 3 (currently known as SPA 26) was ordered to use a stork with its wings low, SPA 103 was ordered to use a high winged stork and SPA 12 used a stork with its wing spread. During World War II the Escadron distinguished itself during the Battle of France. After the defeat of the French Forces the unit was send to North Africa as part of the Vichy French Air Force. Soon after arriving there the unit took its opportunity and joined the Free French Forces after which it was incorporated in the Royal Air Force as 329 Sqn. After World War II the unit participated in multiple conflicts such as the Suez Crisis where Dassault Mystere IV fighter jets from GC 1/2 flew missions under operation “Squadron 199”. In 1984 the unit received its first Mirage 2000 variant the Mirage 2000C and operated out of Dijon Longvic airbase. Late 90’s the unit transitioned to the Mirage 2000-5Fs and was moved to its current airbase, BA116, in 2011. With the Mirage 2000-5F the unit flew numerous operational combat missions such as Operation Harmattan in Libya in 2011 and Operation Hamilton in Syria in 2018. Since 2016 the unit also contributes with regular deployments to Eastern Europe to participate in Baltic Air Policing missions. It is currently expected that the Mirage 2000-5F will soldier on until approx. 2029 after which it will be replaced by the Dassault Rafale. However with the current ongoing conflict in the Ukraine and the news that France will be delivering Mirage 2000-5F’s to the Ukraine the change to the Dassault Rafale might come sooner.