Morocco to Acquire 30 Advanced Mirage Fighter Jets from UAE

The Dassault Mirage 2000 was designed in the late 1970s as a lightweight fighter based on the Mirage III. Several versions have been developed after its entry into service in 1984, including the Mirage 2000N and 2000D (nuclear and conventional), the Mirage 2000-5, and the Mirage 2000-9 sold to Abu Dhabi and which will soon be delivered to the Moroccan Air Force.

The Mirage 2000 is a modern single-engine multi-role combat aircraft that can be used for combat missions as a bomber and defend itself as a fighter aircraft at high speed, high altitude and with better maneuverability. The United Arab Emirates were the first to buy the 2000-9 version, ordering a batch of 32 units, including 20 single-seat Mirage 2000-9s and 12 two-seat Mirage 2000-9Ds, reports La Razón.

Abu Dhabi received its first Mirage 2000-9s in the spring of 2003. This version is equipped with a Shehab laser designation pod (a variant of the Damocles) and a Nahar navigation pod to complement the RDY-2 radar’s air-to-ground modes, essential for carrying out ground attack missions. It is also equipped with a classified countermeasures system called "IMEWS", comparable to the ICMS.

The Mirage 2000-9s of the United Arab Emirates that Morocco is about to receive have participated in various conflicts, in Libya, the war against the Islamic State and in Yemen.