Dassault Mirage F2

The Dassault Mirage F2 is a French prototype two-seat ground attack and fighter aircraft, designed to serve as a test bed for the SNECMA TF306 turbofan engine. In the early 1960s Dassault was asked to design a low-altitude intruder without the high approach speeds associated with the delta wing of the Mirage III, so the F2 used a high-mounted swept wing and horizontal tail surfaces. The prototype, powered by a Pratt and Whitney TF30 turbofan, first flew on 12 June 1966 and was re-engined with the SNECMA TF306 for its second flight on 29 December 1966. The French Air Force chose the simpler Mirage F1 instead, so the F2 never entered production, but its fuselage and engine formed the basis of the variable-geometry Mirage G. It is preserved in Toulouse.