Mirage IV - Production
The bomber's specifications were jointly defined by government authorities and Dassault staff, and cleared on March 20, 1957. The Mirage IV 01 was an experimental prototype designed to discover the problems inherent in sustained supersonic flight. The general appearance of Mirage IV 01 was very like that of the Mirage III A with respect to its surface area, engine configuration and empty weight. It nevertheless carried three times more internal fuel. Manufacture, at the Saint-Cloud factory, lasted 18 months. It left the factory at the end of 1958 for final adjustments at the Melun-Villaroche base before proceeding to flight tests.
The Mirage IV 01 made its maiden flight at 10:20 am 17th June 1959 at Melun-Villaroche (the Seine-et-Marne region of France), piloted by Roland Glavany. The flight lasted 40 minutes. For its third flight, on June 20, 1959, Mirage IV 01 was authorized to make a flight pass over the Paris Air Show with General de Gaulle among the onlookers. On September 19, 1960, at 05:05 pm, René Bigand took off from Melun-Villaroche in Mirage IV 01 and broke the world speed record over a 1 000-km closed circuit (1 822 km/h). Flight 138, on September 23, corroborated the initial performance and pushed the record on a 500-km closed circuit to an average of 1 972 km/h, flying between Mach 2.08 and Mach 2.14.
On May 5, 1959, three pre-production Mirage IV Bs were ordered, of which the first was scheduled to fly before July 1, 1961. Mirage IV 01 was now considered as a small-scale prototype for the development of the navigation and bombardment system. A new definition of the aircraft, with Snecma Atar 9 D engines was approved in October 1959 under the name Mirage IV A. The requirements were for a take-off weight of 32 tons and a minimum range of 1 100km/594 nm (of which one half at supersonic speed), which could be augmented by in-flight refueling. In September 1959, the desire to avoid constructing a foreign aeroengine under license for the propulsion of the Strategic Nuclear Force led to the adoption of a smaller, less expensive aircraft, the Mirage IV A. This was the end of the Mirage IV B program.
It became clear very early on, to the State and to Dassault, that the working methods and contract structures used on previous programs made it unfeasible to complete this program by the established deadline. It was, in fact, France's first attempt at creating a globally integrated weapon system. The precision requirements involved making all the weapon system components operate interdependently. Serial production required using every one of France's 300 or so aeronautical firms. Dassault's work proper accounted for 17 % of this aircraft's total flyaway cost.
Every aspect of the Mirage IV program unfurled commendably. Designers overcame every technical challenge. Its speed, altitude and flight radius matched the technical specifications. Pilots who have flown it have described its handling as extraordinary. The navigation and bombing system met all the required stipulations. And it was finished within the tight schedule disclosed in 1958.
The contract for 50 aircraft was confirmed on May 29, 1962 and another on November 4, for a further 12 aircraft of the same definition, but capable of carrying a reconnaissance pod. Deliveries to the French Air Force were accomplished during 1964-1966. The first Mirage IV-A was delivered to the Air Force in February 1964. At the time of its delivery, the Mirage IV was the only plane in the world able to fly at Mach 2 during more than one half an hour.
Production aircraft n°1 made its maiden flight at Mérignac on December 7, 1963, with René Bigand at the controls. It was delivered to the Air Force in February 1964. By October of the same year, the first bomber squadron, at the Mont-de-Marsan airbase, was declared operational. The strict deadline had been met ; France had become a genuine nuclear power. The Strategic Air Forces were equipped at the rate of two aircraft a month up until March of 1968.
The 50 Mirage IV-A ordered in March 1959 were all finally delivered between 1964 and 1966; dispersed on nine air bases, organized into three mixed squadrons of bombardment, composed each of three squadrons of bombardment and a squadron for in-flight refueling. In June 1964, it was decided to order 12 additional Mirage IV-A having in addition the strategic capacity; this was explained by the fact that the force Mirage IV was to remain in service at least until 1975, and that had consequently to be compensated for attrition. Thus, in less than 2 years, the first component of the nuclear forces strong of 36 Mirage IV-A and 12 C 135 became operational. The production aircraft equipped French strategic nuclear forces between 1964 and 1996 (62 planes). By the early 1980s there were 34 bombers in the order of battle with an additional four in a training sub-unit and ten in reserve.
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