#41, Dassault Mirage III: Proved Small Nations Could Build World-Class Fighters
The Dassault Mirage III changed the global fighter market forever by proving that a European nation could design and build a supersonic fighter to rival anything from the American or Soviet superpowers. When Israeli Air Force Mirage IIIs destroyed the Egyptian, Syrian, and Jordanian air forces in the opening hours of the 1967 Six-Day War, achieving air superiority within three hours, the world took notice. The Mirage had arrived as a serious combat aircraft.
Over 1,400 Mirage IIIs and its variants were built, serving with 21 air forces on five continents. Its simple, tailless delta-wing design was easy to maintain, reliable in harsh conditions, and capable of Mach 2.2. The Mirage III established Dassault as a major player in the global defense technology market and launched a family of fighters, Mirage 5, Mirage F1, Mirage 2000, and eventually the Rafale, that gave France strategic independence from American and Soviet military equipment. For aviation history, the Mirage III proved that great aerospace engineering wasn't limited to the superpowers.
