The pilot was forced to abandon the Mirage 2000-5 after making an emergency landing at Tanagra Air Base. The pilot's colleagues rushed to his rescue and the aircraft was reportedly undamaged.
According to the BBC statement:
“On Monday, July 1, 2024, at approximately 1:46 p.m., while taxiing for landing following a training flight, the pilot successfully ejected from an M2000-5 aircraft of the 114th Fighter Wing, Tanagra Air Base. As a precaution, the pilot was taken to the 251st Air Force General Hospital.”
The Mirage 2000-5 fighters of the 331st Squadron are (still) among the best fighters of the Hellenic Air Force. EThe squadron was formed on 18 April 1998 to receive the Mirage 2000 EGM/BGM acquired from the Air Force.
On 1 March 2007, preparations began for the delivery of the new Mirage 2000-5 aircraft. On 3 May of that year, the first M2000-5 ICMS Mk-III landed at the 114th IAP in Tanagra. This was immediately followed by the start of training for the Air Force pilots by personnel from France – pilots from the Armée de l'Air (ALA) and Dassault – with a view to conducting an operational evaluation of the squadron in May 2008.
“Glass Cabin” as the cockpit of the French-origin fighter is called, consists of a Head-up-Display (HUD), two multifunctional color screens, a tactical status display installed in the center, and finally a screen installed in the pilot's line of sight, which allows the display of radar readings, combining flight data with the HUD. This innovative development is the exclusive prerogative of the Mirage 2000-5.
“By projecting the necessary data onto the windshield, all the data is available to the pilot and he can easily use it. In combination with Data Link it can simplify the task as much as possible and produce very good results”– continues Major Konstantinos Halatsis. The aircraft's radar allows for air combat with both multiple air and ground targets, so it can handle complex and critical scenarios.
In an air-to-air combat, the RDY-2 radar is capable of engaging the 4 most dangerous targets out of the 24 it tracks. These targets can be simultaneously engaged by Mica EM/IR air-to-air missiles, which have a range of 35 to 60 km, depending on the position of the carrier aircraft and the opposing target.
The Air Force has two versions of the missile. One has an active guidance system, the other has an infrared seeker. This means that enemy aircraft in the Aegean Sea receive no warning of an impending deadly threat, since the missile's guidance is entirely passive.
Mirage 2000-5 can carry up to 6 class missiles “air-to-air” in EM or IR sights. The fighter's power plant consists of an M-53P2 engine with a power of up to 21,400 pounds with an afterburner. Thanks to it, the Mirage 2000-5 in both single-seat and two-seat versions has excellent performance.
Maximum speed reaches Mach 2.2 at a given altitude. The aircraft's maneuverability remains among the best in its class, with a design limit of 9G, with excellent low-speed performance in close air combat.
The aircraft has strategic strike potential, thanks to SCALP EG cruise missiles, and can carry nuclear weapons.
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