France has retired its final Dassault Mirage 2000Cs after almost four decades of service. Babak Taghvaee reports from Orange-Caritat and the EC 2/5 Ile De France disbandment ceremony
The final nine Dassault Mirage 2000Cs in service with the Armée de l'air et de l'espace (AAF; French Air and Space Force) were retired during a ceremony at Base aérienne 115 Orange-Caritat on June 23 in which Escadron de Chasse (EC, fighter squadron) 2/5 Ile-de-France was temporarily disbanded. Maintaining the air arm’s long tradition, an aircraft from each of France’s fighter squadrons attended the event.
During their final years of service, the Mirage 2000Cs had – in addition to their quick reaction alert role – been widely used for pilot training, with a priority being given to ensuring that Mirage 2000B instructors remained mission-ready while not posted to frontline squadrons. For this reason, the Mirage 2000Cs of EC 2/5 frequently participated in national and international exercises during 2021.
