By the late 1980s, the Mirage 2000 was beginning to age compared with the latest models of U.S. F-16 fighters, so Thomson-CSF began work on a privately funded update of the Mirage 2000C which was to be named the Mirage 2000-5. A two-seat Mirage 2000B prototype was extensively modified as the first Mirage 2000-5 prototype, and it first flew on October 24th, 1990. A Mirage 2000C prototype was also reworked to a similar standard, making its initial flight on April 27th, 1991. The production aircraft entered operational service in 1997. A two-seat version was developed as well, whose rear seat has a HUD but not an associated head-level display and lacks a built-in cannon, although cannon pods can be carried.

Improvements included the Thales TV/CT CLDP laser designator pod as well as the Thales multimode RDY (Radar Doppler Multitarget), which allows detection of up to 24 targets and the ability to simultaneously track 8 threats while guiding 4 MICA missiles to different targets. Updates to defensive systems included the ICMS 2 countermeasures suite and the Samir DDM missile warning system. ICMS 2 incorporates a receiver and associated signal processing system in the nose for detecting hostile missile command data links, and can be interfaced to a new programmable mission-planning and post-mission analysis ground system. Avionics were also updated, using a new Night vision-compatible glass cockpit layout borrowed from the Rafale, a dual-linked wide-angle Head-up display, and HOTAS controls. The Mirage 2000-5 can also carry the oversized drop tanks developed for the Mirage 2000N, greatly extending its range.

Dassault needed an order from the AdA to help promote foreign sales and, in 1993, the AdA decided to upgrade 37 of their existing Mirage 2000s to the 2000-5 specification as a stopgap before the arrival of the Rafale in AdA service. The upgraded aircraft were re-designated Mirage 2000-5F, and became operational in 2000. They retained the old countermeasures system with the Serval/Sabre/Spirale units and did not receive the ICMS 2 system. The AdA is now considering upgrades for the type, including the MIDS datalink, MICA IR support, and the Thales Topsight helmet-mounted display and sighting system.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of an Israeli Dassault-Breguet Mirage IIICJ fighter that was piloted by Giora Epstein, who was attached to 101 Squadron "First Jet Squadron", then deployed to Hatzor Air Base, Israel, during 1967. Now in stock!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 7-3/4-inches
Length: 5-inches

Release Date: April 2026

Historical Account: "The Six Day War" - Giora Epstein's first kill came on June 6th, 1967, during the Six-Day War, when he downed an Egyptian Sukhoi-7 at El Arish in a Dassault Mirage III. During the War of Attrition in 1969-70, Epstein downed four more aircraft: a MiG-17, another Sukhoi-7 and two MiG-21s. Two of his kills occurred when Epstein and IAF officer Israel Baharav [he] lured a squadron of four Egyptian MiGs into an ambush, resulting in the downing of all four aircraft. A fifth Egyptian aircraft that joined the battle was shot down by Baharav. The shoot-downs brought his total number of kills to five, earning him the title "flying ace".

The rest of his kills, 12 in total, came during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, of which Epstein played a major role in the build-up. On October 6th,1973, at 2:00 p.m., Epstein activated warning sirens across Israel that signaled the start of the war after aircraft takeoffs were detected at Egyptian and Syrian air bases. Between October 18th and 20th, he downed an Egyptian Mi-8 helicopter and eight jets: two Sukhoi-7s, two Sukhoi-20s and four MiG-21s. In one dogfight, where Epstein was alone against 20 Egyptian fighter jets, he was able to shoot down four aircraft in a single sortie before retreating to base over a fuel shortage. Then, on October 24th, while leading a quartet of jets that took off from Hatzor to patrol the Suez Canal area, Epstein joined an aerial battle between a quartet led by Baharav and 22 Egyptian MiG-21s. Twelve MiGs were shot down during the dogfight, three by Epstein, while none of the ten Israeli jets (including two that joined towards the end of the battle) were lost. Eight of his victories during his career were with the French-built Mirage III, a delta wing fighter designed primarily as a high-altitude interceptor. His other nine victories came in an IAI Nesher, an Israeli-built version of the Mirage 5. Five of his kills were downed using air-to-air missiles, the rest with cannon.

His 17 victories against Egyptian aircraft rank him the top supersonic fighter jet ace in the world and Israel's most decorated combat pilot.