Dassault Mirage IIIV

The Dassault Mirage IIIV was an experimental French VTOL fighter developed by Dassault Aviation during the early 1960s. Conceived to meet NATO's requirement for a short‑take‑off and landing aircraft that could operate from unprepared sites, the Mirage IIIV combined the aerodynamic layout of the Mirage III with eight vertically‑oriented lift jets plus a single main propulsion unit. The first prototype, powered by a SNECMA Atar 09C turbo‑jet for forward thrust and four Rolls‑Royce RB108 lift engines, made its maiden flight on 6 November 1966. Subsequent prototypes increased the lift‑engine count to eight, achieving vertical lift of roughly 5 tonnes. Although the aircraft demonstrated stable hover, transition, and modest supersonic performance, it suffered from excessive weight, limited fuel capacity and complex maintenance, leading to the cancellation of the program in 1972 after only four airframes were built. The Mirage IIIV never entered operational service, but its development provided valuable data on thrust‑vectoring and VTOL concepts that influenced later projects such as the Dassault Rafale M and the Eurofighter Typhoon's lift‑fan research. The program remains a notable chapter in Cold‑War aviation, illustrating the challenges of integrating vertical lift into high‑performance fighters.

Dassault Aviation

Dassault Mirage IIIV

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Design & Classification