Dassault Mirage IV

The Dassault Mirage IV is a supersonic strategic bomber and deep-reconnaissance aircraft developed and produced by Dassault Aviation. Work began in the mid-1950s, when France needed a supersonic carrier for its independent nuclear deterrent, and Dassault's proposal won partly because it drew on the earlier Mirage III fighter and looked cheaper and simpler. The first prototype flew on 17 June 1959 and on 19 September 1960 set a speed record of 1,822 km/h over a 1,000 kilometre closed circuit. The first production aircraft was completed in December 1963 and the type entered French Air Force service in October 1964, where it was a vital part of the Force de Frappe. It was shifted from high-altitude to low-altitude missions in the 1960s, later carried the ASMP stand-off missile, left the nuclear role in 1996 and was withdrawn in 2005.