Dassault Mirage IIICI

[Spinners]

Dassault Mirage IIICI - 154° Gruppo, 6° Stormo, Aeronautica Militare Italiana, 1966

The 1961 Franco-Italian Defence Agreement led to the early adoption of the Dassault Mirage IIIC by the Aeronautica Militare Italiana with Fiat responsible for licence-production of the airframe and final assembly with the SNECMA-supplied 13,500lb thrust Atar 9B-5 turbojet engine. Designated Mirage IIICI (I for Italie) the aircraft was equipped with the standard Cyrano I radar and armed with two 30 mm cannons plus one Matra/Fiat R531 'Spada' (Sword) semi-active radar homing missile and two locally produced Selenia 'Pugnale' (Dagger) heat-seeking air-to-air missiles.

Entering service in March 1964 with 154° Gruppo of 6° Stormo the Mirage IIICI mainly replaced the F-86K Sabre in Aeronautica Militare Italiana service and eventually equipped four squadrons in the interception role before being supplanted by the multi-role Mirage 5CI with the last Mirage IIICI being retired in 1984.

[Spinners]

The later Mirage 5CI

 

[+sony tuckson]

nice study!

[+Spillone104]

Nice. But the 154° Gruppo is a fighter bomber group. That's why they had F-84G, F-84F, F-104G, F-104S (CB) and then the Tornado IDS.

For interceptor groups look at 23° of 5° Stormo, 9° Gruppo of 4° Stormo, 10° and 12° Gruppo of 36° Stormo, 18° Gruppo of 37° Stormo and 10° Gruppo of 9° Stormo.

[Spinners]

Nice. But the 154° Gruppo is a fighter bomber group. That's why they had F-84G, F-84F, F-104G, F-104S (CB) and then the Tornado IDS.

For interceptor groups look at 23° of 5° Stormo, 9° Gruppo of 4° Stormo, 10° and 12° Gruppo of 36° Stormo, 18° Gruppo of 37° Stormo and 10° Gruppo of 9° Stormo.

 

But I love Diablo!

 

 

 

[Spinners]

Dassault Mirage IIICI - 22° Gruppo, 51° Stormo, Aeronautica Militare Italiana, 1967

 

 

 

 

 

Another of my favourite units - I just love that whole cat v. mice thing!

Edited August 22, 2011 by Spinners