Brazil operates a fleet of 12 Mirage 2000 single and two-seat fighter planes that are used for air-defense purposes.
The Mirages, known as “Jaguars” in the Brazilian Air Force (Força Aérea Brasileira – FAB), were obtained from a French Air Force surplus between 2006 and 2008. They are assigned to the 1º Grupo de Defesa Aérea (1º GDA – 1st Air Defence Group), based at Annapolis, in Central-West Brazil, and they will be withdrawn from service by the end of 2013.
For this reason, the cool image taken by an FAB photographer from the backseat of a Mirage 2000B may be one of the last ones shot aboard the French plane.
The Mirage 2000 was to be replaced by the future Brazilian fighter F-X2. However, until a next generation fighter plane is selected (the procurement of a new fighter jet started at the beginning of the 2000s as F-X….), Brazil will replace the Mirages with some upgraded F-5 Tigers.
Image credit: FAB
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