Tony Osborne Copyright South Africa based aerospace and Defense company, Paramount Aerospace Systems has acquired four Ex- French Ai...
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| Tony Osborne Copyright |
South Africa based aerospace and Defense company, Paramount Aerospace Systems has acquired four Ex- French Air Force Dassault Mirage F1 dual seat fighter aircraft to enhance its pilot training capability.
The new acquisition will enable the company to offer comprehensive pilot training services, from ab intio to advanced supersonic pilot training.
The fleet will complement the existing fleet of Dassault Mirage F1 fighter jets acquired from South African Government.
The Company has extensive capability on this aircraft type with full airframe and engine overhaul capability, as well as the ability to upgrade, modernise avionics and mission systems.
The Mirage F1 is a supersonic fighter aircraft designed by French Dassault in the 1960s. First flown in 1966, the aircraft entered servce with French Air Force in 1974.
Dassault produced 473 of the type, which where exported to South Africa, Spain, Greece, Kuwait, Libya, Morocco, Ecuador, Iraq, Jordan and Qatar.
The F1 is capable of carrying a 4,500 kg payload with a maximum take off weight of 16,200 kg. The Mach 2.1 capable fighter has an supersonic ceiling of 55,000 ft.
France retired its last Mirage F1 squadron in 2014, after operating them for 40 years. In September 2017, US based Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC) a subsidiary of Textron, acquired 63 Mirage F1 variants from France to act as an adversary aircraft training for U.S. Air Force pilots.
