Historical Warbird

BD09

To replace the Republic F-84F Thunderstreak and the RF-84F Thunderflash, the Belgian government decided on 16 February 1968 to buy 88 Mirages (54BA, 22BR and 12 BD) with an option for another 18 planes of the sub-type to be built later. The Mirage 5BA was optimized for ground attacks and was in fact a version of the Mirage IIIC as used by the French Armée de l Air but equipped with less advanced avionics. The two-seat Mirage 5BD was essentially developed as a two-seat trainer, but thanks to a lower fuel capacity, this subtype has retained its attack power. After being taken out of use at the Belgian Air Force, five Mirage 5BDs were transformed by SABCA into M5MD Elkans and sold to the Chilean Air Force.