With the withdrawal of the French Air Force’s Mirage 2000C fleet fast approaching, Babak Tagvhee documents the last user of the jet: EC 2/5 ‘Île-de-France’
For more than three decades, Dassault’s Mirage 2000C has been the backbone of the Armée de l'Air et de l'Espace (AEE; French Air and Space Force). Of the 124 examples of the dynamic delta delivered between 1983 and 1995, just 11 upgraded M2000C-S5-2s remain in service today. Together with seven twinseat Mirage 2000B-S5 trainers, they are on strength with Escadron de Chasse (Fighter Squadron) 2/5 ‘Île-de-France’ (EC 2/5) atBase Aérienne 115 (BA115; air base 115) Orange-Caritat in the southeast of France.