1/48 SWISS MIRAGE IIIS/RS

This item is an injection-plastic jet aircraft model kit. 

From the manufacturer:

In 1961, Switzerland bought a single Mirage IIIC from France, which was used as a development aircraft.  The Swiss Mirages were built in Switzerland, and cost overruns during the Swiss production led to the so-called "Mirage Affair."  Mirave IIIS interceptors were built with strengthened wings, airframe and undercarriage.  The airframes were reinforced so the aircraft could be moved by lifting them over other aircraft with a drane, as the aircraft caverns in the mountains that the Swiss Air Force uses as bunkers offer very little space to maneuver parked aircraft.

The Swiss Mirages are equpped with RWS, chaff and flare dispensers. Avionics differed as well, with the most prominent difference being taht the Thomson-CSF Cyrano II radar was replace by Hughes' TARAN-18 system. Also, the Mirage IIIS had the wiring to carry a Swiss-built or French nuclear bomb.  The Mirage IIIS had an integral fuel tank under the aft belly; this fuel tank could be removed and replaced with an adaptor of the same shape.

The Mirage IIIRS could also carry a photo-reconnaissance centerline pod and an integral fuel tank under the aft belly; this carried a smaller fuel load but allowed a back-looking film camera to be added.  The nose section of these aircraft are fitted with high-speed automatic series exposure cameras with high-resolution capability, as well as having infrared sensors.

Only 36 Mirage IIIS fighters and 18 IIIRS reconnaissance aircraft were actually built by the Federal Aircraft Factory.  The Mirage IIIS went into service in 1967, and the IIIRS in 1969.  In the early 1990s, the 30 surviving Mirage IIIS interceptors were put through an upgrade program, which included fitting them with fixed canards and update avionics.  The Mirage IIIS were phased out of service in 1999.

Model features:

• TARAN radar nose with strakes
• Retooled C.70 canards
• Lengthened front landing gear wheel fork
• Fin trailing edge antenna
• Wingtip RWR antennas
• Decoy dispenser
• Dedicated instrument panel and undernose fairing
• Interception light
• Hoisting points
• Mk. 6 ejector seat
• 2 RP18 supersonic wing tanks

Will be 31.3cm long with a wingspan of 17.1cm when assembled. Over 180 parts, molded in gray and clear plastic; decals are by Cartograf.

Decal Options:

Dassault Mirage IIIRS

  Schweizer Luftwaffe (Swiss Air Force 1966-now)

• Fliegerstaffel 10 R-2111 | Buochs 2002 | grey, Green
• Fliegerstaffel 10 R-2110 | Mirage Swiss Farewell - Buochs 2003 | Anthracite, pale grey
• Fliegerstaffel 10 R-2116 | Mirage Swiss Farewell - Buochs 2003 | pale grey, Anthracite

Dassault Mirage IIIS

  Schweizer Luftwaffe (Swiss Air Force 1966-now)

• Fliegerstaffel 16 J-2327 | Sion 1998 | Two Tone grey