French Air Force Completes Mid-Life Upgrade of Mirage 2000D Fighter Jets

The French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) delivered the fiftieth and final mid-life upgrade (RMV) Mirage 2000D to the French Air and Space Force.

This modernization program involved Dassault Aviation producing modification kits and refurbishing the first two aircraft, followed by the French Aeronautical Industry Service (SIAé) scaling up the upgrades to the next fifty aircraft.

This mid-life upgrade enhances the operational capabilities of the Mirage 2000D. It consists of:

Strengthening the air-to-ground capabilities of the Mirage 2000D through the integration of a 30mm cannon pod combined with an improvement in fire control, giving it a close-in fire support capability;

Improve the aircraft's air-to-air and self-protection capabilities by replacing the MAGIC II missiles with the MICA IR (infrared) missile;

Modernizing all of the aircraft's electronic systems, that includes opening up the core system with the addition of a complementary system allowing users to have additional calculation, conversion, and communication functions. These functions are provided by software developed by the Air and Space Force;

Upgrade the simulators and mission preparation system.

Entering service in the 1990s, the Mirage 2000D specializes in ground attack missions. In all weather conditions, day or night, the fighter can operate at very low altitudes and very high speeds.

Faced with rapidly evolving threats, the adaptations it has undergone over the years allow it to maintain operational effectiveness in air-to-ground combat and intelligence gathering.

Thanks to this modernization, the aircraft now benefits from an open system enabling rapid adaptation to evolving needs and from state-of-the-art equipment capable of meeting the challenges of current and future theaters of operation.