The chosen ones

With GAF as prime contractor building the fuselage and with responsibility for the delivery of the complete aircraft to the RAAF, CAC would build wings, fin, rudder, tail cone and the SNECMA Atar 9C engines. Major components would be transported to Avalon for assembly, fitting out, function tests and flight testing.

Deliveries were completed with A3-100 in December 1968. The cost of the initial 110 Mirages, including the 10 trainers, was $266. 928m, including spares and ancillary equipment with an individual cost of $2. 4266m.

Removing the additional equipment, individual net aircraft cost ranged from $1. 665m to $1. 731m in later deliveries. On November 26 1970, approval was given to purchase an additional six Mirage IIIDs at a cost of approximately $11m.

Meanwhile in France the first flight of an RAAF Dassault Mirage IIIO, A3-1, took place on March 14 1963.

Two aircraft were involved in testing following airframe modifications to develop equipment for the Australian order. The important milestone was achieved when the RAAF received its first Mirage IIIO, A3-1, at an official handover at Aerodrome de Melun Villaroche near Paris on April 9 1963.

Tests were undertaken in France before the aircraft was dismantled and shipped to Australia in a RAAF C-130A Hercules, as were French-built A3-3 and A3-4 some months later.

The historic first Mirage IIIO flight in Australia took place from the Department of Supply’s test field at Avalon on Saturday November 16 1963 in the hands of SQNLDR B H Collings when A3-3, airborne for 52 minutes, reached an altitude of 40,000ft and speed of Mach 1. 4. Flight trials continued with FTLT R Green joining the production testing program with the aircraft subsequently taken to 60,000ft and Mach 2.

The official handover of the first Australian-assembled Mirage took place in a ceremony at Avalon on January 29 1964 in the presence of the Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies, when Minister for Supply Allen Fairhall handed over the logbook for the first Australian-assembled Mirage, A3-3, to Minister for Air Fairbairn.

Two Mirage IIIO versions were built in Australia, the IIIO(F) comprising 49 of the first 50 aircraft from A3-1 to A3-50 (excluding A3- 26), interceptor versions armed with cannon, missiles and a Cyrano IIA fire control/radar system. The IIIO(A) fighter/ground attack type comprising A3-51 to A3-100 had Cyrano IIB radar, radar altimeter and revision to cockpit lighting with A3-26 from the earlier production being the initial aircraft of this model built. From mid-1969 it was decided to modify Mirage IIIO(F) aircraft still in service to IIIO(A) configuration, re-designated Mirage IIIO(F/A), excluding A3-2 which was placed with the Aircraft Research and Development Unit (ARDU) at RAAF Edinburgh. Delivery of A3-100 on December 3 1968 marked the end of local single-seat production. In addition to the Australian-built singleseat Mirages, to accelerate deliveries, 10 complete fuselages were imported from France in 1966 contributing to the 25 total deliveries in that year.

Aircraft 5, 6, 7 and 8 were sent to GAF and CAC as major assemblies.

The fuselage was divided into six major assemblies, each made from two half-shells. Aircraft 9 and 10 were sent from France as half-shells.

Aircraft No 16 was the first with some primary components built in Australia.

Most Australian-made tooling was produced by GAF and CAC with the remainder from Hawker de Havilland (HdH) and other industry participants.

Components came from a variety of sources, for example a gas turbine engine starter from HdH, tyres, wheels, brakes and flexible fuel tanks from Dunlop, and some instruments from National Instrument Company.

It was an important opportunity for Australian industry to engage in such a significant project.

In addition to single-seat Mirages, IIID trainer versions were acquired with fuselages imported from France and completed with Australian-built wings. The first aircraft A3-101 was imported fully assembled with its Australian maiden flight on October 6 1966 flown by SQNLDR G Talbot.

The remaining nine trainer aircraft of this first order, A3-102 to A3-110 were completed locally, delivered between December 1966 and October 1967. An additional order for a further six IIIDs was placed with A3-111 to A3-116 delivered between August 1973 to January 1974, again with fully imported French-built fuselages and CAC-built wings. These were the last Australian-built/assembled Mirages to come off the line, ending this major manufacturing program.

In an article written by Minister for Air Fairbairn in March 1964 he said the first 12 aircraft would be delivered to the Fighter Operational Conversion Unit which had been formed at RAAF Williamtown. It had both pilots and technical personnel who had been working with the French industry prior to and during the test flying of the first RAAF Mirage. Only experienced pilots with at least several hundred hours on Sabres would undertake Mirage conversion. Squadron commanding officers will be highly experienced with a background of squadron command and probably Korean War service.

Conversion would take an estimated three months with 100 hours either flying the Mirage or in a simulator.

Following 2 OCU, the expected initial squadrons receiving the Mirage would be No 75 and No 76.

‘The fuselage was divided into six major assemblies, each made from two half-shells’