About the Israeli Mirage III Supersonic Fighter-Bomber

The Mirage III was built and sold by the French aviation company Dassault. Initial procurement of the Mirage started in 1959. The Israelis were impressed with the French craft and felt they finally had an answer to the Soviet-supplied air forces of Egypt and Syria. The Mirage could reach speeds in excess of 1,460 MPH and had a range of nearly 1,000 miles. Dassault designed the Mirage to be an advanced first generation Mach 2 fighter. It utilized a 60 degree delta wing design and a powerful SNECMA Ater 9 engine with afterburner. For armament, Dassault equipped the Mirage III with two DEFA 30mm cannons—with 125 rounds each—and several hard-points that could carry rockets, bombs, or external fuel tanks.

An initial order of 24 ballooned to 72 in 1961, with Israel receiving its first shipment in April of 1962. Nicknamed the Shahak (heavens), the Mirage was extremely popular with the Israeli Air Forces. As tensions warmed in 1967 between Israel and its Arab neighbors, several aerial “altercations” led to an outright preemptive strike by Israel on June 5, 1967. Shahaks descended from the sky and defeated the Egyptian Air Force before they could counter. At least four Mirages were lost during the brief conflict while over 48 Arab jets were shot down in sorties.

Specifications:

Crew: 1
Wingspan: 8.22 m (27 ft)
Max takeoff weight: 13,700 kg (30,203 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × turbojet engine with afterburner
Maximum speed: Mach 2.2, or 2,350 km/h (1,460 mph)
Combat range: 1,200 km (750 mi)
Armament: 2× 30 mm cannon 2× drop tank/rocket pack, each with 19×rockets and 250 l (66 gal) of fuel or 2× Sidewinder Air to Air missiles

Additional information about this Brickmania® custom building kit:

This sharp and extremely sturdy model features a brick-built color scheme and multiple printed elements. Its delta wing design features modeled air brakes and posable ailerons and flaps. The retractable landing gear makes it a great desk piece and removable boarding ladder makes it perfect for your latest MOC or scene.

Model Statistics:

Designed by Nicholas Kramer
1228 LEGO® & BrickArms® and Brickmania® elements
1x custom minifig
33 additional custom printed elements
Full-color printed building instructions
1/35th scale to match other Brickmania kits
Intermediate skill level (4-6 years building experience recommended)

All Brickmania® model kits are made of new-condition LEGO® bricks. This model comes disassembled and includes complete printed building instructions. This is a limited-edition kit and production may be discontinued at any time.

This is not a LEGO® Product. LEGO and the LEGO minifigure are trademarks of the LEGO Group, which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this product. The LEGO Group is not liable for any loss, injury or damage arising from the use or misuse of this product.