Warfare
Mirage
Mohsen Shir-Muhammad
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Mirage-F1 is a light, multirole fighter jet built by France, which the Iraqi Baathist army used extensively during the war against Iran.
Mirage[1] is a relatively modern aircraft capable of flying at low altitudes and achieving an impressive climb rate. It can reach a speed of Mach 2.2[2] and is powered by a single afterburning turbojet engine, equipped with two 30 mm cannons. In air interception missions, the Mirage typically carries two Magic 550 heat-seeking short-range air-to-air missiles and one Super 530 missile with radar-guided tracking capability.[3]
Iraq’s efforts to acquire this fighter began during Saddam Hussain’s 1970 visit to France.[4] Finally, in 1975, a contract was signed to purchase 72 aircraft.[5] Subsequently, training the first group of Iraqi pilots and maintenance crews started in France on June 26, 1980.[6] The first Mirages were delivered to Iraq in 1981,[7] painted in a camouflage pattern with gray-green and sand tones on the upper surfaces and gray-blue underneath.[8]
Due to the complexity of Mirage maintenance,[9] in October 1981, a French technical support team travelled to Iraq.[10] France also played a key role in designing and constructing new hardened shelters to protect these fighters.[11]
Once introduced into the war, the Mirage proved effective in air combat. On November 18, 1981, it shot down one Iranian F-14, and on November 24, 1981, two more F-14s were downed by the Iraqi Mirages.[12] However, the Mirages also suffered losses in dogfights with Iranian fighter jets. For example, in December 1981, the first Mirage was shot down by an Iranian F-14 about 50 km east of Ahvaz.[13]
In the second year of the war, Iraq equipped some Mirages with special cameras for reconnaissance missions.[14] While these jets were mainly used for interception, Iraq decided to employ them in air-to-ground operations as well. Thus, the first air-to-ground training course was held in Iraq from February to July 1983 at Saddam Air Base.[15]
During the missions against Iran, the Mirages used French-made AS-30 laser-guided bombs, Russian X-29 laser-guided missiles, and three types of cluster bombs.[16] Later, Iraq adapted the aircraft for anti-ship operations, launching its first strike in February 1985.[17]
With France supplying Mirage fighters with fuel pods for fighter-to-fighter refueling, Iraqi aircraft gained the capability to perform low-altitude aerial refueling.[18] This allowed the Mirages to carry out long-range attacks in the Persian Gulf. Their notable operations included a raid on Khark Island in October 1986, a strike targeting Larak Island in November 1986,[19] and the bombing of the Neka Power Plant in Mazandaran Province in September 1987.[20]
The Mirage jets continued to play a major role in the bombing of Iranian cities until the very end of the war, targeting defenseless civilians.[21] However, Iran’s air defense and fighter aircraft managed to shoot down 33 of these jets during the war.[22]
After the adoption of UN Resolution 598, the Mirage took part in Iraq’s renewed offensives along the Iranian border. When members of the Mujahideen-e Khalq Organization (Munafiqeen) invaded western Iran, these jets—alongside Iraq’s MiG-23s—provided intense and heavy air support to help the group evacuate its remaining forces back into Iraqi territory after their defeat by Iranian troops.[23]
It is reported that during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, as Coalition forces intensified airstrikes, Iraq flew dozens of aircraft—including Mirage—to Iran to prevent their destruction.[24]
[1] Zargar, Aqil, Sarab; Dastan-e Mirajha-ye Araqi, Mahnameh Sanaye Havaii (Mirage: The Story of Iraqi Mirages, Aviation Industries Monthly), No. 219, Shahrivar 1388, p. 99.
[2] Cordesman, Anthony & Abraham Wagner, Darsha-ye Jang-e Modern - Jang-e Iran va Araq (Lessons from the Modern War- Iran-Iraq War), Vol. 2, translated by Hussain Yekta, Tehran, Marz-o-Bum, 1390, p. 403.
[3] Ibid., p. 404.
[4] Torabi, Majid, Mirajha-ye Araqi dar Nabard - Bakhsh-e Aval (Iraqi Mirages in Battle - Part One), Mahnameh Sanaye Havaii, No. 325, Bahman 1398, p. 3.
[5] Ibid., p. 5.
[6] Torabi, Majid, Mirajha-ye Araqi dar Nabard - Bakhsh-e Dovom (Iraqi Mirages in Battle - Part Two), Mahnameh Sanaye Havaii, No. 326, Esfand 1398, p. 8.
[7] Torabi, Majid, Mirajha-ye Araqi dar Nabard - Bakhsh-e Sevom (Iraqi Mirages in Battle - Part Three), Mahnameh Sanaye Havaii, No. 327, Farvardin 1399, p. 42.
[8] Ibid., p. 43.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Torabi, Majid, Mirajha-ye Araqi dar Nabard - Bakhsh-e Chaharom (Iraqi Mirages in Battle - Part Four), Mahnameh Sanaye Havaii, No. 328, Ordibehesht 1399, p. 33.
[11] Zargar, Aqil, Ibid., p. 13.
[12] Torabi, Majid, Mirajha-ye Araqi dar Nabard - Bakhsh-e Chaharom (Iraqi Mirages in Battle - Part Four), p. 34.
[13] Ibid., p. 35.
[14] M. Woods, Kevin & Others, Jang-e Iran va Araq az Didgah-e Farmandegan-e Saddam (Iran-Iraq War from the Viewpoint of Iraqi Military Commanders), translated by Abdolhamid Heydari, Tehran, Nashr-e Marz-o-Bum, 1393, p. 362.
[15] Torabi, Majid, Mirajha-ye Araqi dar Nabard - Bakhsh-e Sheshom (Iraqi Mirages in Battle - Part Six), Mahnameh Sanaye Havaii, No. 330, Tir 1399, p. 19.
[16] Cordesman, Anthony & Abraham Wagner, Ibid., p. 404.
[17] Navias, Martin, Jang-e Naftkesh-ha (The Thanker War), translated by Pejman Pourjabari & Rahmat Qareh, Tehran, Bonyad Hefz-e Asar va Arzesh-haye Defa Muqaddas, 1392, p. 209.
[18] Torabi, Majid, Mirajha-ye Araqi dar Nabard - Bakhsh-e Dovom (Iraqi Mirages in Battle - Part Two), p. 66.
[19] Ibid., p. 7.
[20] Ibid.
[21] Torabi, Majid, Mirajha-ye Araqi dar Nabard - Bakhsh-e Chaharom (Iraqi Mirages in Battle - Part Four), p. 16.
[22] Ibid., p. 16.
[23] Ibid.
[24] Taqvayie, Babak, Farar be Su-ye Iran (Fleeing to Iran), Mahnameh Jang-afzar, No. 88, Farvardin 1391, p. 4.
