Dassault Mirage 4000

The Dassault Mirage 4000 (sometimes called the Super Mirage 4000) is a French prototype twinjet fighter aircraft developed by Dassault-Breguet from their Mirage 2000. The Mirage 4000 was noticeably larger and heavier than the single-engined Mirage 2000, the 4000 having two SNECMA M53-2 turbofans.[1] It also featured small canards above the engine air intakes and a true bubble canopy, compared to the Mirage 2000 and previous Mirages. Despite the changes, the two aircraft remained similar, sharing the delta wing design, semi-conical Oswatitsch-type air intakes, and general configuration.[citation needed]

The Mirage 4000 first flew on 9 March 1979.[1] It was financed as a private venture by Dassault.[1] The Mirage 4000 was comparable in size to the United States F-15 Eagle, and was designed to be both a long-range interceptor and a fighter-bomber. In the early 1980s, Dassault ended the program shortly after the Royal Saudi Air Force ordered a large number of Panavia Tornado aircraft. Iran had been lost as a potential customer after the Iranian Revolution in 1979.[2] The French Air Force preferred to concentrate on the Mirage 2000, leaving Dassault with no customers. Some of the expertise thus gained would later influence the Dassault Rafale.[3]

The prototype made a total of 336 flights, the last taking place on January 8, 1988.[4]

The only prototype moved to its final residence at the Musée de l'air et de l'espace (Paris Air and Space Museum) in November 1992.