The French Air Force is withdrawing the Mirage 2000N, the nuclear deterrence variant of the acclaimed delta fighter, after three decades of sterling operational service, writes Henri-Pierre Grolleau.
France’s ‘big stick’ retires
A pair of Mirage 2000Ns up from Istres for a training sortie over the Mediterranean in October 2015. The jets are serials 345 ‘125-BU’ and 366 ‘125-BC’, both upgraded to Mirage 2000NK3 standard and operated by EC 2/4 ‘La Fayette’.
Katsuhiko Tokunaga
Escadron de Chasse (EC) 2/4 ‘La Fayette’ is scheduled to disband at Istres on June 26, only to reform at Saint-Dizier as a Rafale B squadron shortly afterwards. The event will mark the official withdrawal of the Mirage 2000N, bringing to a close a career that began 30 years ago.
