Menace

Menace
Sieuxerrian Navy Menace during testing
Role	Interceptor and air superiority fighter
National origin	Sieuxerr
Manufacturer	Aérospatiale-Dassault
Designer	Aérospatiale-Dassault
First flight	1967
Introduction	1979
Status	In service
Primary user	Sieuxerrian Navy
Produced	1977–present
Number built	80
Developed into	Super-Mirage

The Aérospatiale-Dassault Menace, known also as the Mirage-Menace is a twin or single-seat, twinjet, variable-sweep wing interceptor and air superiority fighter used by the Sieuxerrian Navy.

Design

Engines

The Menance is equipped with two Snecma M53 afterburning turbofan engines. Initial aircraft were accepted with the M53-8 type, which was a slight modified version of the M53-5 which was to be used by the Sieuxerrian Air Force's Mirage 2000 aircraft. In the mid-1980s when the Mirage 2000 began to swap for the more powerful M53-P2, the Menance did the same thing. The M53-8 achieved a max of 20,000 lbf of afterburning thrust, with the M53-P2 getting slightly more with 21,400 lbf of thrust. This solved some problems which pilots complained about with the aircraft feeling "sluggish" at times.

This allows the aircraft to achieve a max speed that exceeds Mach 2.2.

Weaponry

The Menace is equipped with two 30mm DEFA 554 revolver cannons with selectable rates of fire of 1,200 rpm or 1,800 rpm. The are mounted underneath the intakes for the engines.

For missiles it uses the majority of common air-to-air missiles in use. This includes new missiles like the R.850 ASRAAM and Meteors and older missiles like R.530 series.

The basic configuration had the ability to use rockets and iron bombs for a limited ground attack role, in the later years the aircraft was fitted with better equipment to allow for the use of laser-guided munitions.

Avionics

The Thomson-CSF Giraffe series of radars were designed to be used by the Menace. Based off the RDM but with a better range over 140 kilometers with the I series and over 180 kilometers with the IV series. The newest radar models allow for air/ground engagement, look-down/shoot-down, and GMTI.

Operators

Current

• Sieuxerr
  • Sieuxerrian Navy - 36 in service, 6 in preserved storage, 10 lost in accidents/combat
    • Flottille 16F - 8
    • Flottille 19F - 8
    • Flottille 20F - 8
    • Flottille 42F - 12

Specifications

General characteristics

• Crew: 2 (Pilot and Radar Intercept Officer)
• Length: 19.2 m ()
• Wingspan:
  
  • Spread: 15 m
  • Swept: 8.1 m ()
• Height: 5 m ()
• Empty weight: 15,500 kg (34,171 lbs) ()
• Loaded weight: 24,500 kg (54,013. lbs) (x2 Magic, x2 Super 530D, x2 R.750, x2 1,000 liter drop tanks) ()
• Max. takeoff weight: 28,000 kg (61,729 lbs) ()
• Powerplant: 2 × SNECMA M53-P2 afterburning turbofans
  • Dry thrust: 64.7 kN (14,500 lbf) each
  • Thrust with afterburner: 95.1 kN (21,400 lbf) each

Performance

• Maximum speed:
  
  • High altitude: Mach 2.2+ (1,650+ mph, 2,700+ km/h)
  • Low altitude: Mach 1.2 (900 mph, 1,450 km/h)
• Combat radius: 1,000 km (621 mi) for interdiction mission
• Ferry range: 4,000 km (2,485 mi)
• Service ceiling: 18,500 m (60,000 ft)
• Rate of climb: 240+ m/s (47,000+ ft/min)
• Thrust/weight: 0.8
• Maximum design g-load: +9 g

Armament

• Guns: 2× DEFA 554 30mm revolver cannon, 125 rpg
• Hardpoints: Total 8: four on wing-gloves, two under nacelles, two under-fuselage  and provisions to carry combinations of:
  • Missiles:
    
    • 2× R.550
    • 2× MICA
    • 2-4× R.750
    • 2-6× Super 530
    • 2-6× Meteor
  • Bombs:
    
    • Various guided and unguided munitions in service

Avionics

• Radar:
  • Thomson-CSF "Giraffe" I-IV X-Band radar
  • Thomson-CSF "Chercheur" Infra-red search and track system
• Countermeasures: