Launched on November 28, 1956, by Dassault, the Mirage IV program resulted in the twin-engine fighter-bomber prototype named Mirage IV 01 taking-off on June 17, 1969. Two years later, on October 12, 1961, the first Mirage IV A took off, opening a series of 4 prototypes and 62 production aircraft.
The 33-ton plane could fly twice the speed of sound at an altitude of 18,000 meters, and thanks to the in-flight refueling, the range was practically limited only by the crew’s capabilities.

The plane that is the subject of this gallery has been one of the five aircraft kept in a flyable condition since 1995 for carrying out long-range reconnaissance missions and electronic warfare.

On June 6, 2005, as part of the official end-of-service ceremony, Eric Pintat, Commander and Chief of Operation of the “Gascogne” squadron, and René Dupré, Deputy Commander of the unit, took the last flight.

Mirage IV P n ° 59 Charlie Foxtrot is currently located at 110 Creil Airbase.

But it was not the last Mirage IV P flight.

On Thursday, June 30, 2005, at 12:05, Mirage IV P n ° 62, the last Mirage IV to leave the Dassault production lines, landed on the Le Bourget museum lane after flying from 118 “Colonel Rozanoff” airbase in Mont-de -Marsan. It is now one of the exhibits of the Museum of Aviation and Astronautics Le Bourget.

C’est Fini!

I can recommend A&A Models only to experienced modelers, a very demanding short-run kit, with poor details and poor fit of parts. It can be build, but it’s a painful process. I have started this kit in February 2020, and stalled when couldn’t get through joining the fuselage halves… lot of filing, and sanding, then those 3 mm gaps between the bottom wing and fuselage. Crooked geometry. I suppose, the old Heller kit is much more pleasant to deal with.
Painted with Vallejo metallizers, Tamiya and Gunze paints, Modelers World wash , subtle oil shading with Abteilung 502 Smoke.
Syhart Decals, great to work with, although a bit thick.
ResKit wheels. Refueling probe – Master. Pavla’s seats in the cockpit, practically invisible through small and thick windows.

So, here it is! Surely not perfect, but finished! My seventh kit in 2020, not bad.