Dassault Mirage IIIE
The multirole Mirage III — a longer nose, Cyrano II air/ground radar and Doppler navigation, and the most-exported model · First flight 1961 · In service 1964
Dassault developed the Mirage IIIE as a multirole and strike model while the IIIC interceptor was entering production. The first of three prototypes flew on 5 April 1961. A 300 mm plug ahead of the wing enlarged the avionics bay behind the cockpit and added fuel, answering pilots' complaints about the IIIC's range. The IIIE also got the dual-mode Cyrano II radar, a Doppler navigation radar in a bulge under the cockpit, a radar warning receiver and the Atar 09C with a petal-type nozzle.
The French Air Force received its first production IIIE on 14 January 1964, and in French service the type was equipped to carry the AN-52 nuclear bomb until 1991. The IIIR camera-nose reconnaissance model, the two-seat IIID and the Mirage 5 were all built on the IIIE airframe.
By 1971 the IIIE was the most widely exported Mirage III, sold to Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Lebanon, Pakistan, South Africa and Venezuela. Australia's Government Aircraft Factories built it under licence as the Mirage IIIO, 100 aircraft that served the RAAF until 1988, and many of them went on to fly with Pakistan. Switzerland built its own version as the IIIS.
