France During 1984, the first operational deployment to be performed by French Air Force Mirage F1s was conducted during
Operation Manta, the French intervention in
Chad to counteract the growing
Libyan encroachment in the region. A force of four Mirage F1C-200s provided air cover for a further group of four
Jaguar strike aircraft; they also participated in a number of skirmishes against pro-Libyan
Transitional Government of National Unity (GUNT) rebels. and
EC 3/30 in flight, 31 May 1986. In 1986, French Mirage F1s were redeployed to Chad as part of
Operation Epervier. A flight of four F1C-200s provided fighter cover for a strike package of eight Jaguars during the
air raid against the Libyan airbase at Ouadi Doum, on 16 February. A pair of F1CRs also conducted pre and post-strike
reconnaissance missions. In response to the Iraqi
invasion of Kuwait, France performed two deployments of Mirage F1s to the Persian Gulf. In October 1990, 12 Mirage F1Cs were dispatched to
Doha,
Qatar in order to boost air defences, while a further four Mirage F1CRs of ER 33 were deployed to
Saudi Arabia as part of
Operation Daguet in September 1990. To avoid the risk of being mistaken for hostile Iraqi Mirage F1s, all of the French F1CRs were grounded during the first few days of the Allied air attacks, flying their first combat mission on 26 January 1991; an additional reason for their initial grounding was the lack of compatible night vision equipment. They were used in the fighter bomber role, using their more capable navigation systems to lead formations of French
Jaguar fighter bombers, as well as to fly reconnaissance missions; in this capacity, 114 sorties had been flown by the end of hostilities. The last French unit to be equipped with the Mirage F1 was the Escadron de Reconnaissance 2/33
Savoie, home-based at Mont-de-Marsan, which flew the latest version of the F1CR. The unit's primary mission was tactical reconnaissance, with a secondary mission of ground-attack; because of the unique missions of the 2/33, their unofficial motto among the pilots had become, "Find; Identify; and Photograph or Destroy." In accordance with a bilateral defense agreement between France and Chad, a pair of 2/33 F1CRs, along with 3 pilots, a photo interpreter, an intelligence officer and ground crews were always deployed to N'Djamena, Chad. The two 2/33 F1CRs operated with three Mirage 2000Ds, also based on rotation from France to Chad. In 2013 2/33 F1CRs also participated in
Operation Serval in Mali. On 10 January, launching from their base in N'Djamena in Chad, the first French air intervention mission against Islamist rebels in Mali, was undertaken by F1CRs and Mirage 2000Ds, supported by a French Air Force C-135 tanker. The 2/33 F1CRs provided valuable photo information for strike aircraft flying the next day from France. Later on 16 January, two 2/33 F1CRs, were deployed from Chad to Bamako, Mali. Both aircraft were fitted with extra long range 2,200 litre ventral tanks; and when operating over Mali also carried two 250 kg unguided bombs, plus their internal 30mm cannons, in case they were called on for close air support missions. In order to replace the elderly F1CRs of ER 2/33, a number of
Rafales were outfitted with an advanced reconnaissance pod. The Rafale's range, maneuverability and combat load is far superior to the F1CR that it replaces, as well as its reconnaissance capabilities: after the Rafale's pod has taken photographs, these can be almost instantly transmitted back to its base or where the imagery would be required if provisioned with compatible down link equipment. The French Air Force's last Mirage F1 fighters were retired from operational service on 13 June 2014. The last units in service, these being 11 single-seat Mirage F1CRs and three two-seat F1Bs were transferred to storage; six aircraft performed a final appearance in a flypast during
Bastille Day celebrations over Paris prior to their disposal.
Ecuador Between 1979 and 1980, Ecuador received 16 F1JAs (a variant of the F1E) and a pair of F1JEs. The Ecuadorian Air Force's (FAE) squadron of Mirage F1JAs (
Escuadrón de Caza 2112) went into action in January–February 1981 during the brief
Paquisha War between
Ecuador and
Peru, less than two years after the aircraft had been delivered to the FAE. At that time, the Ecuadorians decided against directly challenging the
Peruvian Air Force (abbreviated FAP), whose
Mirage 5Ps and
Sukhoi Su-22 were providing air cover to Peruvian heliborne operations within the combat zone. Instead, the Mirages were kept at a distance, performing combat air patrols (CAPs) on the fringes of the combat area, in case the border clashes escalated into wider hostilities. During one incident, a Peruvian
Sukhoi Su-22 was intercepted and a single air-to-air R.550 missile was launched; however, it failed to strike the Peruvian aircraft. In 1995, during the
Cenepa War, the Ecuadorian Mirages went back into action against Peru. This time, while the bulk of the squadron was kept back at Taura AFB, a small detachment of Mirage F1s and
Kfir C.2s was deployed to undisclosed forward air bases to dissuade Peruvian attack aircraft from entering the combat zone. By this time, the planes had been upgraded with
Israeli electronics and
Python Mk.III air-to-air missiles, usually mounted on the outer underwing pylons, and Matra
R550 Magic AAMs on wing-tip launch rails. On 10 February 1995, a pair of Mirage F1JAs, piloted by Maj. Raúl Banderas and Capt. Carlos Uzcátegui, were directed over five targets approaching the combat zone in the Cenepa valley. After making visual contact, the Mirages fired their missiles, claiming two Peruvian Su-22Ms shot down, while a Kfir claimed a further
A-37B Dragonfly. Sources in Peru, however, deny the claim that the Sukhois Su-22Ms were shot down by Ecuadorian aircraft, stating that one was shot down by Ecuadorian
anti-aircraft artillery fire during a low flying ground-attack mission, while the second was lost because of an engine fire. Banderas served as Commander of the Ecuadorian Air Force between May 2014 and February 2016, while Uzcátegui died in a training accident in 2002 at
Salinas air base, in the
Santa Elena Province. In 2011, all of the remaining Ecuadorian Mirage F1s still in service were retired after having flown more than 33,000 flight hours during their 32 years in active service; they were replaced by a squadron of
Atlas Cheetah fighters bought from South Africa.
Greece Greece operated 40 Dassault Mirage F1CG single-seat fighters. The F1CG was first ordered in 1974 and entered service with the
Hellenic Air Force in 1975. The aircraft were used by the
334th All-Weather Squadron and the
342nd All-Weather Squadron. Mirage F1CGs were armed with the
AIM-9P missile, rather than the more commonly used
R.550 Magic, and could carry four AIM-9Ps, rather than just two. another is claimed to have crashed in similar circumstances on 4 September 1995, and on 8 February 1995, a Turkish F-16 crashed after dogfighting Greek F1s. The loss of a Turkish
RF-4E (69-7485) on the 20 October 1995 is conformed and often attributed to a dogfight with the Mirage F1. A further claim—that is denied—is the loss of a Mirage on the 7th of November 1994 to a Turkish F-16. The loss of a further RF-4E on 5 November 1997 is recorded and may have been the victim of either an F-16 or a Mirage F1. One more (134) is preserved at the HAF History Department, Delta Falirou.
Iraq Starting in 1977 and continuing through the 1980s,
Iraq placed several orders for Mirage F1s. Although the first version, designated as the Mirage F1EQ, was quite similar to the original French Mirage F1C, During this period, France was a major supplier of military equipment to the nation; in 1983, the former loaned five
Super Étendards to Iraq while the latter was awaiting the delivery of the
Exocet-capable Mirage F1EQ-5, which would not be available until September 1984. The Super Étendard had been strongly advocated for by Dassault, who had feared the potential cancellation of the sizable Mirage F1 order by Iraq if the request was not granted. From 1983 onwards, Iraqi Mirage F1s were also used for ground attack. In this role, the Mirage F1 was used to replace Iraq's aging fleet of
Hawker Hunters. In September 1985, an agreement was signed between Dassault and Iraq for the delivery of a further 24 aircraft, consisting of 18 Mirage F1EQ-6 fighters and 6 F1BQ trainers. During the
Iran–Iraq War, Iraq's Mirage F1EQs were used intensively for interception, ground attack and anti-shipping missions. The Mirage F1EQ allowed for Iraqi strikes to be conducted over a greater combat radius into Iran than had been previously possible. In November 1981, an Iraqi Mirage F1 accounted for the first
Iranian
F-14 Tomcat to be shot down, followed by several more in the following months, giving the previously timid
Iraqi Air Force new confidence in air-to-air combat engagements with the Iranians. According to research by journalist Tom Cooper, during the war 33 Iraqi Mirage F1s were shot down by Iranian F-14s and two were downed by Iranian
F-4 Phantom II units. Iraqi F1EQs claimed at least 35 Iranian aircraft, mostly F-4s and
Northrop F-5E Tiger IIs, but also several F-14 Tomcats. On 14 September 1983, a pair of
Turkish Air Force F-100F Super Sabre fighter jets of 182 Filo “Atmaca” penetrated Iraqi airspace. A Mirage F1EQ of the Iraqi Air Force intercepted the flight and fired a
Super 530F-1 missile at them. One of the Turkish fighter jets (s/n 56-3903) was shot down and crashed in
Zakho valley near the Turkish-Iraqi border. The plane's pilots reportedly survived the crash and were returned to Turkey. The incident was not made public by either side, although some details surfaced in later years. The incident was revealed in 2012 by Turkish Defence Minister
İsmet Yılmaz, in response to a parliamentary question by
Republican People's Party (CHP) MP Metin Lütfi Baydar in the aftermath of the
downing of a Turkish F-4 Phantom II in Syria, in 2012. On 17 May 1987, an Iraqi
Falcon 50 modified with elements of a Mirage F1
fired a pair of
Exocet missiles at the
United States Navy (USN) warship
USS Stark as it patrolled the
Persian Gulf, causing extensive damage to the ship, killing 37 and wounding 21 members of Stark's crew. The exact motive and orders of the pilot remain unclear, although Iraq later apologized for the attack, referring to the incident as "a mistake" and blaming Iran. Prior to the outbreak of the 1991
Gulf War, the Mirage F1EQ was the second most numerous type operated by the Iraqi Air Force (the most numerous being the
MiG-21). On 17 January 1991, during the opening minutes of the conflict, an unarmed, United States Air Force (USAF)
EF-111, crewed by Captain James A. Denton and Captain
Brent D. Brandon scored a kill against an Iraqi Mirage F1EQ, which they managed to maneuver into the ground, making it the only
F-111 to achieve an aerial victory over another aircraft. Later in the war, an Iraqi Mirage piloted by Capt. Nafie Al-Jubouri successfully downed an American EF-111 Raven through aerial maneuvering as it crashed while attempting to avoid a missile fired by Al-Jubouri. Coalition forces shot down several Iraqi F1s during the Gulf War, such as six F1EQs that were shot down by USAF
F-15 Eagles. A pair of F1EQs, which were preparing to carry out an attack on Saudi oil facilities were shot down by a
Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) F-15C. Of a pre-conflict force of 88 Mirage F1EQs, 23 were destroyed in the war, a further six were damaged, 24 were flown to Iran and interned; only 23 aircraft remained in service by the end of the Gulf War. In March 1977, an additional contract was signed, stipulating the delivery of five additional Mirage F1CHs, as well as 20 Mirage F1EHs (including six aircraft equipped with in-flight refuelling probes). The first deliveries to the
Royal Moroccan Air Force (RMAF) took place in 1978. Comprising over a third of its fighter force, the Mirage F1 served as the primary air defence fighter of the RMAF for the next two decades. Starting in October 1979, these aircraft were engaged in combat missions against the forces of the
Polisario Front, operating in
Western Sahara. During their early combat operations, Moroccan Mirage F1s used unguided bombs, rockets, and their internal cannons to attack Polisario targets. In November 1979, the first Moroccan Mirage F1 was shot down by a Polisario
9K31 Strela-1, and its pilot was killed. Another one was shot down by an
SA-7 on 6 December, and two more followed in February 1980. With the losses to Polisario air defences mounting, Moroccan pilots started using
toss bombing tactics to minimize their exposure to air defences, that had meanwhile been reinforced with
2K12 Kub/SA-6 medium-range SAM systems. Using this technique, in early January 1982, Moroccan Mirages even started attacking SA-6 sites. However, the strikes had very poor results, due to the inaccuracy of this technique. Moreover, the soft sand of the Sahara desert caused a lot of bombs to fail to detonate. To solve these issues, several measures were taken. The Moroccans started using bombs equipped with
daisy cutter fuses, and later South African-made Jupiter
airburst fuses. Moroccan Mirages also starting operating in
hunter-killer teams, with one aircraft fitted with long-range cameras and/or
ESM equipment guiding one or two low-flying Mirage F1s to attack the targets it detected. These tactics proved highly successful, and they became the principal way in which Moroccan Mirages operated for the remainder of the war. Moreover, the aircraft were modified with
chaff/
flare dispensers. Lastly,
ECM pods were bought to increase the aircraft's survivability against SA-6s, and the first were delivered in 1983. All this, combined with better training of the Moroccan pilots (including during joint exercises with the French and the Americans), resulted in much improved effectiveness of operations against Polisario forces. In total, over the course of the war in Western Sahara, twelve Mirage F1s were shot down by the POLISARIO. Four pilots were killed, and five were taken prisoner. On 17 August 2015, a Moroccan Mirage F1 crashed due to a
bird strike; its pilot ejected successfully.
Iran Iran never purchased Mirage F.1s but did initially face them in the Iran-Iraq War, where they were some of the
IQAF's most effective assets against Iranian Forces and
trade in the Gulf. At least four F-14s - The IRIAF's most effective assets against Iraqi Aerial forces - were lost to "Giraffe" ambushes, and the Mirage F.1 scored the most confirmed kills against the type out of all fighters in Iraqi Service. During the
Gulf War, the Mirage F.1 was one of the primary fighters used by the IQAF however, after a large-scale evacuation of Airforce Assets to Iran (on the condition that they would be returned to Iraq after the end of the war), a total of 24 ended up being interned in Iran. These were pressed into Iranian service and today are stationed in Southern Iran (some in the anti-shipping role after being modified with
Nasr-1 Missiles) and in Eastern Iran.
PL-7 Air to Air missiles have also been reportedly integrated on the Mirages, with Guided and free-fall bombs and attempts at integrating the
Fakour-90 Missile. Most were initially part of the 140 TFW in the west of the country, near Mashhad which by 2004 had at least 18 operational airframes. It is believed that Pakistan may have been involved in supporting the operationalization, initial maintenance and upkeep of the Mirages until 1995, though the Iranians deny this officially. Iranian Mirages have been upgraded over time, including with new radars and avionics. The first MiG was able to return to base, but sustained additional damage making a
belly landing. In May 1982, an Angolan
Mi-8 helicopter that the SADF believed to be carrying senior officers was located and destroyed in the Cuvelai area. The helicopter was located with rotors running on the ground by a pair of F1CZs and destroyed by 30mm cannon fire. Two F1AZs of 1 Squadron were lost over Angola. On 20 February 1988, while flying an interdiction sortie in F1AZ '245' against a road convoy during
Operation Hooper, Major Ed Every was shot down by an
SA-13 Gopher SAM. F1AZ '223' was lost almost a month later, on 19 March, when Captain Willie van Coppenhagen flew into the ground while returning from a diversionary strike at night. A SAAF Board of Inquiry was unable to determine the causes of the crash. ,
Cape Town, circa 1982. Two F1AZs and a F1CZ were also damaged by enemy action, but were able to return to base. On 7 June 1980, while attacking
SWAPO's Tobias Haneko Training Camp during
Operation Sceptic (Smokeshell), Major Frans Pretorius and Captain IC du Plessis were both hit by
SA-3 Goa SAMs. The aircraft piloted by Du Plessis was hit in a fuel line and he had to perform a
deadstick landing at AFB Ondangwa. Pretorius's aircraft sustained heavier damage and had to divert to Ruacana forward airstrip, where he landed with only the main undercarriage extended. Both aircraft were repaired and returned to service. As well as a service-life extension, this improved the avionics and added anti-shipping capability with a modernised Cyrano IVM radar and Exocet compatibility. From July 2006 to November 2006, Spanish Mirage F1s were deployed to
Lithuania as a part of
NATO's
Baltic Air Policing mission; during this deployment, they were scrambled twice to intercept undisclosed intruders. On 20 January 2009, a pair of Spanish F1s from the 14th Wing crashed near their base during a routine Spanish Air Force dogfight training mission, resulting in the deaths of all three crew members. The wreckage of the two jets, including the remains of the aircrew, was found about apart. By 2009, there were 38 F1M's in service with Escuadrón 141 (141st Squadron) "Patanes" and Escuadrón 142 (142nd Squadron) "Tigres" of Ala 14. In 2013, the Spanish Air Force retired its fleet of Mirage F1s, having progressively phased the type out of service as increasing numbers of the
Eurofighter Typhoon had become available. The deal went through and Argentina bought the Spanish Mirages in October 2013, but the deal was scrapped in March 2014 after pressure from the
United Kingdom on Spain to not assist in FAA modernization over tensions between the countries over the
Falkland Islands. In November 2017,
Draken International announced that it had acquired 22 F1Ms from Spain and would refurbish and upgrade them for use as adversary aircraft.
Libya Libya procured 16 Mirage F1ED interceptors, 6 F1BD two-seaters, and 16 Mirage F1ADs to equip the
Libyan Air Force. The F1AD model is a specialized strike variant that lacks the standard radar unit; it is instead outfitted with a retractable fuel probe mounted on the nose. Four F1ADs were subsequently upgraded into a multirole configuration. Throughout the day of 18 August 1981, a total of 70 Libyan aircraft, including
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23s,
MiG-25s,
Sukhoi Su-22s,
Su-22Ms and Mirage F1s, approached a US Navy carrier battle group as a show of strength. They were escorted until their withdrawal from its vicinity by
McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom IIs and
Grumman F-14 Tomcats. Even though they weren't involved continuously, Libyan Mirage F1s participated in the war in Chad intensively and proved their worth during the Libyan campaigns through the 1980s. From 1981, a detachment was deployed at Marten es-Serra in southern Libya. Both the F1AD and F1ED versions were used in this war. Even though the Mirage F1ED was designed foremost as an interceptor, it was mainly used for ground attack purposes like the F1AD, although some
combat air patrols were flown as well. When operating in Chad, the Mirage F1AD's typical combat configuration consisted of a pair of 1.300 litre drop tanks and a pair of Belouga CBUs. Operations were performed almost exclusively during daylight hours and from high altitudes, which resulted in limited effectiveness. Together with
Mirage 5s,
MiG-23s, and
Sukhoi Su-22s, Mirage F1s were instrumental in the success enjoyed during different campaigns against the Chadian troops in the early 1980s: operating over the open and barren desert terrain, they caused heavy damage, for no Mirage F1 losses in exchange. Both Libyan Mirage F1 squadrons were staffed by some of the best pilots and officers in the Air Force, and the Libyans put extra care in the maintenance of these aircraft. Indeed,
US Navy pilots involved in the 1981 encounters with Libyan
fighters concluded that the Mirage F1 pilots were markedly superior to those flying Soviet-made aircraft. The Mirage F1 fleet saw action during the
2011 Libyan Civil War. The Libyan Air Force posed little threat to coalition forces, partially as a result of insufficient equipment and a heavy reliance upon older aircraft acquired from the
Soviet Union, but remained effective against poorly armed anti-
Gaddafi rebels.
Kuwait Kuwait ordered 33 Mirage F1s in 1974, following a border clash with Iraq (which has irridentist intentions in Kuwait), only five years after the acquisition of
English Electric Lightnings from the UK for the
Kuwait Air Force. Kuwait ordered 2 Mirage F1BK, 4 Mirage F1BK-2, 18 Mirage F1CK, and 9 Mirage F1CK-2, receiving them between 1975 and 1977 in the first batch, and until 1983 in the second batch. The first batch of F1s were painted in a desert camouflage scheme, with a sand and light brown disruptive camouflage pattern on top and light gray underneath, while the second batch were in overall gray air-superiority colors. The Kuwaiti F1CKs were basically F1Es, not F1Cs, and replaced Lightnings in Kuwaiti service, as the Kuwaitis had found the Lightning difficult to maintain and unsuitable for their needs. After the war, the Mirages, Hunters, and Lightnings were withdrawn and replaced with
F/A-18C and D Hornets delivered by the United States.
Gulf War and Invasion of Kuwait During the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, as the Iraqi Air Force was late in their strikes on Kuwait in support of the ground offensive, Kuwaiti Mirages were able to support Kuwaiti ground forces consistently until Iraqi forces surrounded and attacked their bases. Kuwaiti Mirages claimed several enemy craft—mainly helicopters, and mostly with the R.550 Magic. Their kill claims total 13
Puma/
Mi-8s (one with cannons, the rest missiles), two
Gazelles, two
Mi-24s, Two
SU-22M4, one
MiG-21 and an
IL-76 transport, all on 2 August 1990. Most of these kills (scored against helicopters) were part of the Kuwaiti Air Force's attempts to hamper the initial waves of Iraqi Commando raids into Kuwait City, seeking to capture the Emir of Kuwait and take key points in the city, and they were mostly successful in this endeavor. A part of the Mirage fleet—alongside Kuwaiti
A-4 Skyhawks,
Hawker Hunters and Lightnings fled to Saudi Arabia and fought in
Operation Desert Storm to liberate Kuwait with the rest of the coalition. ==Variants==