List of Dassault Mirage III operators

This is a list of Dassault Mirage IIIs, Mirage 5s, and Mirage 50s used by national air forces.

This is an approximate list. The key "1S" indicates a single-seat Mirage fighter, while "2S" indicates a two-seat Mirage, and "PR" indicates a photoreconnaissance machine.

South Africa
South African Air Force (SAAF) used Mirage III operationally to great effect in Angola. In 1979 a SAAF Mirage IIIRZ was shot down near Ongiva, in Angola. The wreckage of the aircraft was recovered by the Angolans.

Argentina
Argentine Air Force used the Mirage IIIEA during the Falklands War (Guerra de las Malvinas). Their lack of aerial refueling capability and long distance from their bases dramatically reduced their ability as long-range strike aircraft. Even using two 550-gallon drop tanks to carry extra fuel, the Mirages (and Daggers) were flying at the absolute limit of their range to reach the British fleet. The fighters sent to engage the Harrier CAP and cover the strike force would have no more than five minutes over the target area Their usual armament consisted of 1 Matra R530 or 2 Magic 1 AAMs. They only entered combat in one occasion with one being shot down by an AIM-9L Sidewinder and other destroyed by friendly fire after attempting to land at Port Stanley when nearly out of fuel. They were extensively used on diversion flights, flying very high altitude and baited the British with decoys, forced a response, and stretched their CAP coverage to improve the chances of survival and success of the attack force. Some of them were also maintained in quick response alert against possible Avro Vulcan raids on the mainland and against aggressive Chilean flights on the border.

[[undefined|Abu Dhabi]] /

 * Abu Dhabi Defence Force
 * United Arab Emirates Air Force
 * 1S: 12 5AD + 14 5EAD
 * 2S: 3 5DAD
 * PR: 3 RAD
 * Out of Service

🇦🇷

 * Argentine Air Force
 * Single seaters: 19 IIICJ + 17 IIIEA
 * Double seaters: 3 IIIBJ +  4 IIIDA
 * Plus 35 IAI 1S Dagger-A + 4 IAI 2S Dagger-B. Survivors locally updated to Finger Standard.
 * Plus 10 5P. Survivors (9) locally updated to Mara Standard.
 * IIICJs & IIIBJs were ex-Israeli, 5Ps were ex-Peruvian.

🇦🇺
116 Mirage IIIs (RAAF serial A3-1 to -116) were in service with the RAAF from 1964 to 1988.
 * Royal Australian Air Force
 * No. 3 Squadron RAAF
 * No. 75 Squadron RAAF
 * No. 76 Squadron RAAF
 * No. 77 Squadron RAAF
 * No. 79 Squadron RAAF
 * No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit RAAF
 * Aircraft Research and Development Unit
 * 1S: 49 IIIO(F) + 51 IIIO(A)
 * 2S: 16 IIID
 * Most built locally, all now sold to Pakistan.

🇧🇪

 * Belgian Air Force
 * 1S: 63 5BA
 * 2S: 16 5BD
 * PR: 27 5BR
 * Minor upgrade performed on survivors in early 1990s, but all were then retired. Some transferred to Chile as Elkans.

🇧🇷

 * Brazilian Air Force
 * 1S: 16 IIIEBR + 6 IIIEBR-2
 * 2S: 4 IIIDBR + 6 IIIDBR-2
 * all IIDBR-2 & IIIEBR-2 were ex-AdA.
 * Many assembled locally. Survivors upgraded with canards and so on in early 1990s. Last one retired in 2005


 * Chilean Air Force
 * 1S: 6 50C + 8 50FC + 19 Elkans
 * 2S: 3 50DC + 6 Elkans
 * 50FC were upgraded by Dassault from AdA 5Fs and then updated by Enaer to Pantera standard. Elkans are ex Belgium Mirage 5.
 * Some ex South Africa Cheetahs as spares.
 * Retired on 31 December 2007

🇨🇴

 * Colombian Air Force
 * 1S: 14 5COA Converted to 5COAM
 * 2S: 2 5COD converted to 5CODM
 * PR: 2 5COR Converted to 5COAM
 * Most Colombian Mirages upgraded in early 1990s to improved Kfir standard.
 * All retired in 2010.

🇪🇨

 * Ecuadorian Air Force

🇪🇬

 * Egyptian Air Force
 * 1S: 54 5SDE + 16 5E2
 * 2S: 6 5SDD
 * PR: 6 5SDR

🇫🇷
All aircraft retired.
 * French Air Force
 * 1S: 95 IIIC + 183 IIIE + 58 5F
 * 2S: 27 IIIB +  5 IIIB1 + 10 IIIB2(RV) + 20 IIIBE
 * PR: 50 IIIR + 20 IIIRD

🇬🇦

 * Gabon Air Force
 * 1S: 3 5G + 2 5G-2
 * 2S: 4 5DG
 * Two surviving 5Gs were updated to 5G-2 spec.
 * Aircraft withdrawn from use.

🇮🇱

 * Israeli Air Force
 * 101 Squadron
 * 117 Squadron
 * 119 Squadron
 * 253 Squadron
 * 254 Squadron
 * 113 Squadron (Nesher only)


 * 1S: 72 IIICJ
 * 2S: 5 IIIBJ
 * 2 Mirage IIIRJ photo reconnaissance aircraft
 * IAI built 61 Nesher / Daggers, with 51 single-seaters and 10 two-seat Nesher-Ts;
 * withdrawn from use. Many transferred to Argentina between 1979/83

🇱🇧

 * Lebanese Air Force
 * 1S: 10 IIIEL
 * 2S: 2 IIIDL
 * all aircraft sold to Pakistan in 2000

🇱🇾

 * Libyan Air Force
 * 1S: 53 5D + 32 5DE
 * 2S: 15 5DD
 * PR: 10 5DR
 * Most of them sold to Pakistan as part of Project ROSE

🇵🇰


The Pakistan Air Force is the largest operator of the Dassault Mirage III with a fleet strength of around 156 aircraft. The fleet consists of fighters built for Pakistan (Mirage IIIEP) in the 60s and 70s as well used French, Australian, Libyan and Lebanese aircraft bought in the 1990s and early 2000s. Some 35 of the ex-Australian Mirage III were modernised with new avionics under the first stage of the ROSE (Retrofit Of Strike Element) upgrade programme to make air superiority specialised "ROSE I" fighters.
 * Pakistan Air Force
 * 1S: 18 IIIEP + 43 III(0) + 28 5PA + 28 5PA2 + 12 5PA3
 * 2S: 5 IIIDP +  7 IIID   +  2 5DPA2
 * PR: 13 IIIRP
 * The III(0) and IIID models were Australian-made and locally refurbished at the Mirage Rebuild Factory of Pakistan Aeronautical Complex.

All Mirage III/Mirage V aircraft are to be retired and replaced with the Pakistan/China produced JF-17 by 2015. The Pakistan naval air arm operates more than 12 aircraft based at PNS Base Faisal.
 * Pakistan Naval Air Arm

🇵🇪

 * Peruvian Air Force
 * 1S: 22 5P + 10 5P3 + 2 5P4
 * 2S: 4 5DP +  2 5DP3
 * 10 5P transferred to Argentina and rest upgraded.
 * Survivors stored by 2005.

🇿🇦 [[south africa|South Africa]]

 * South African Air Force
 * No. 2 Squadron SAAF
 * 1S: 16 IIICZ + 17 IIIEZ
 * 2S: 3 IIIBZ +  3 IIIDZ + 11 IIID2Z
 * PR: 4 IIIRZ +  4 IIIR2Z
 * All out of service, some having been upgraded to Cheetah standard. There were about 16 Cheetah E conversions (all out of service); 38 Cheetah C conversions; 16 Cheetah D conversions; and one Cheetah R conversion (scrapped).
 * Some Cheetahs E were sold to Chile for use as spare parts for Panteras.

🇪🇸 [[spain|Spain]]

 * Spanish Air Force
 * 1S: 24 IIIEE
 * 2S: 6 IIIDE
 * Upgrade plan (APQ-159 radar, HUD + 2xCRT, AYK-14 computer, new RWR, ALE-40 decoy launchers, AIM-9L/AGM-65G capability, four extra hardpoints) cancelled in 1991. Withdrawn from service in October 1992. The survivors were used as part of the payment for the Mirage F-1M upgrade and later sold to Pakistan.


 * Swiss Air Force
 * 1S: 1 IIICS + 36 IIIS
 * 2S: 4 IIIBS +  2 IIIDS
 * PR: 18 IIIRS
 * Most built locally, many upgraded with canards, optics etc. Withdrawn from service in 2003.

🇻🇪 [[venezuela|Venezuela]]

 * Venezuelan Air Force
 * 1S: 7 IIIEV + 6 5V + 9 50EV
 * 2S: 3 IIIDV + 1 50DV
 * All phased out after several crashes.


 * Zairean Air Force
 * 1S: 8 5M
 * 2S: 3 5DM
 * All sold to Egypt in the early 1990s.