Mirage F1 Moroccan Air Force Load Outs

[Paul Bradley]

I've been trawling the internet and cannot seem to find any photos of Mirage F1s with a weapons load out! Did they NEVER carry weapons?! Google has not been my friend.... In particular, I'm looking for photos of Moroccan Air Force F1Cs - did these use a pair of R530s, one under each wing, or just a singleton under the fuselage? Did their F1Es ever use AS30s? Any help would be appreciated.

[mystras]

There is one with Magic IIs on the wingtips , posted at the Airliners

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Morocco---Air/Dassault-Mirage-F1EH/1802424/L/&sid=6a0f3cd6187364679cca279f89abcac6

[Paul Bradley]

Cheers, Mystras; I'm looking to see if I can use R530s though.

[bad edd]

Of course they can use it :

And a lot of other stuff, including jamming pods and more recent ordnance.

There is a fantastic archive with pictures of almost every Moroccan machine , here :

http://far-maroc.forumpro.fr/t7p175-fra-photos-mirage-f1

[bad edd]

[Paul Bradley]

Many thanks, Bad Edd - a useful reference!

Interesting that out of 14 pages of photos, only two show the R530 and just a handful show munitions at all. Clearly, missiles are camera-shy in Morocco!

[exdraken]

there is more on this site:

http://www.air-defense.net/forum/topic/4734-arm%C3%A9e-de-lair-marocaine/?page=115

but also could not find more about the R530. maybe it was not used very much/ long? is not said to be the most successful missile in the world....

[Paul Bradley]

Interesting - thanks, exdraken!

[Tiger331]

I would agree that the Royal Moroccan Air Force Mirage F.1s appear to have been rather 'camera shy' when it comes to seeing them with operational load outs but they will have carried plenty, given their operational use over the years. Long standing clashes with Algerian backed Polisario guerrillas in the mid 1970s led to the urgent supply of Mirage F.1s to Morocco in 1978 and they went into immediate use. The Mirages operated from their then main base, Sidi Slimane, near Meknes, and a FOB at El Aioun which may account for the lack of photos…..probably not a camera friendly environment. Given that they flew a wide range of missions, including air defense, ground attack and CAS for just under a decade, I think its safe to say they carried weapons, almost certainly of French origin. At least three Mirage F.1s were lost to the Algerian and Libyan backed rebels including at least one to an SA-8. I dare say Tom Cooper of ACIG (check their website) can furnish more, given his expertise in the lesser known Post WWII air campaigns.

[Paul Bradley]

Cheers, Tiger, I'll check it out.