{"id":28120332,"date":"2026-10-15T10:41:15","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T08:41:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/dassault-mirage-iiiv-balzac-nine-engine-vtol-mach-2\/"},"modified":"2026-10-15T11:05:18","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T09:05:18","slug":"dassault-mirage-iiiv-balzac-nine-engine-vtol-mach-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/de\/dassault-mirage-iiiv-balzac-nine-engine-vtol-mach-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Dassault Mirage IIIV: The Nine-Engine VTOL Fighter That Hit Mach 2"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\r\n\r\n<style>\r\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid 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Nothing that could hover had ever gone that fast. To manage it, the Dassault Mirage IIIV carried nine jet engines: one large turbofan for forward flight and eight small Rolls-Royce lift jets packed into the fuselage behind the cockpit.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was the most ambitious answer to a question NATO asked in 1961: could Europe have a supersonic strike fighter that did not need a runway? Within weeks of that record, the answer was effectively no.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f4f6f9;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:18px 22px;margin:22px 0 28px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.7\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:700;color:#0d1117\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:18px\"><li><strong>Type:<\/strong> Experimental supersonic VTOL strike fighter<\/li><li><strong>Manufacturer:<\/strong> Dassault Aviation, France<\/li><li><strong>Testbed:<\/strong> Balzac V, converted from the first Mirage III prototype<\/li><li><strong>Engines (Mirage IIIV):<\/strong> One TF104\/TF106 or TF306 turbofan plus eight Rolls-Royce RB162 lift jets<\/li><li><strong>First hover:<\/strong> 12 February 1965 (prototype 01)<\/li><li><strong>Top speed:<\/strong> Mach 2.04 in level flight, September 1966 (prototype 02)<\/li><li><strong>Prototypes:<\/strong> Two Mirage IIIV; 02 lost on 28 November 1966<\/li><li><strong>Survivor:<\/strong> Mirage IIIV 01, Mus\u00e9e de l'Air et de l'Espace, Le Bourget<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">NATO's Impossible Requirement<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In August 1961 NATO issued NBMR-3, a requirement for a supersonic V\/STOL strike fighter. It called for a combat radius of about 460 km, cruise at Mach 0.92, a Mach 1.5 dash and a payload of around 910 kg. Eleven designs were submitted. The two serious contenders were Hawker Siddeley's P.1154, a supersonic Harrier with one vectored-thrust engine, and Dassault's Mirage IIIV, which used dedicated lift jets.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NATO chose the P.1154 in May 1962, but no country ordered it, and France pressed on with its own design. The Mirage IIIV was seen as politically attractive because of its multinational industrial plans, but technically it had nine engines where the British design had one.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 6px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mHtMHlo8eic\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin:0 0 24px;font-style:italic\">Ruairidh MacVeigh's Flying Failures episode on the Dassault Mirage IIIV.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Balzac V: Learning to Hover<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dassault proved the idea first with the Balzac V. It was converted from the very first <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/mirage-iii\/\">Mirage III<\/a> prototype and fitted with eight Rolls-Royce RB108 lift engines plus a Bristol Orpheus for forward flight. Tethered hovering began on 12 October 1962, and the Balzac made its first free hover six days later. On its 17th sortie, on 18 March 1963, it made its first transition from hover into wing-borne flight.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Balzac also showed how dangerous the concept was. It suffered two fatal accidents, in January 1964 and September 1965, and was not repaired after the second.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/mirage-iii-v-lift-engines-le-bourget.jpg\" alt=\"Mirage IIIV prototype 01 at the Musee de l Air et de l Espace, Le Bourget\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Mirage IIIV 01 at the Mus\u00e9e de l'Air et de l'Espace, Le Bourget. The eight lift jets sat in the fuselage behind the cockpit. Photo: ignis \/ CC BY-SA 3.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Nine Engines and Mach 2<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Mirage IIIV itself was a bigger aircraft. Prototype 01 first hovered on 12 February 1965 and made its first transition in March 1966. It started with a Pratt &amp; Whitney-derived TF104 turbofan, soon replaced by the more powerful TF106, and reached Mach 1.32. Prototype 02 flew from June 1966 with a TF306 and, in September 1966, reached Mach 2.04 in level flight.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There was a catch the records did not show. The Mirage IIIV never combined a vertical take-off and supersonic flight in the same sortie. Eight lift engines meant extra weight and fuel that did nothing in forward flight, and the high-speed record flights were not vertical take-offs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/mirage-iiiv-musee-air-espace-le-bourget.jpg\" alt=\"Tail of the Mirage IIIV 01 at Le Bourget\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">The tail of the surviving Mirage IIIV 01 at Le Bourget. Photo: Roland Turner \/ CC BY-SA 2.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The End<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On 28 November 1966, prototype 02 was lost in an accident. NBMR-3 had already been terminated in 1965, and the British had cancelled the P.1154 the same year. There was no longer a NATO order to win and no French requirement big enough to justify the cost. The programme ended.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mirage IIIV 01 survives at the Mus\u00e9e de l'Air et de l'Espace at Le Bourget. NATO's vertical strike fighter finally arrived decades later, with a different engine layout, as the F-35B.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 6px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/f1RA7s0iWro\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin:0 0 24px;font-style:italic\">Jumpseat &amp; Aerobuzz on the Mirage III V, the vertical fighter that aimed for Mach 2.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 6px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/78ZeIfpP4_c\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin:0 0 24px;font-style:italic\">Archive footage of the Dassault Balzac V testbed hovering and flying.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Sources: Wikipedia (Dassault Mirage IIIV); Mus\u00e9e de l'Air et de l'Espace; San Diego Air and Space Museum Archives; Ruairidh MacVeigh; Jumpseat & Aerobuzz<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\r\n\r\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>What was the Dassault Mirage IIIV?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Dassault Mirage IIIV was a French experimental supersonic vertical take-off and landing strike fighter of the 1960s. It used one turbofan for forward flight and eight Rolls-Royce RB162 lift jets, and was built for NATO's NBMR-3 requirement.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How fast was the Mirage IIIV?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Mirage IIIV prototype 02 reached Mach 2.04 in level flight in September 1966. However, the Mirage IIIV never combined a vertical take-off and supersonic flight in the same sortie.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How many engines did the Mirage IIIV have?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Mirage IIIV had nine engines: eight Rolls-Royce RB162 lift jets mounted vertically in the fuselage, plus one main turbofan, the TF104 or TF106 on prototype 01 and the TF306 on prototype 02.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What was the Dassault Balzac V?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Balzac V was Dassault's VTOL testbed for the Mirage IIIV, converted from the first Mirage III prototype with eight RB108 lift engines and a Bristol Orpheus. It first hovered freely in October 1962 and suffered fatal accidents in 1964 and 1965.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why was the Mirage IIIV cancelled?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">NATO's NBMR-3 programme was terminated in 1965 without any orders, the second Mirage IIIV prototype was lost on 28 November 1966, and the nine-engine design was complex and heavy. Without a customer, France ended the programme.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Where can you see a Mirage IIIV today?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The surviving Mirage IIIV, prototype 01, is on display at the Mus\u00e9e de l'Air et de l'Espace at Le Bourget, near Paris.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What was the Dassault Mirage IIIV?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Dassault Mirage IIIV was a French experimental supersonic vertical take-off and landing strike fighter of the 1960s. 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Without a customer, France ended the programme.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Where can you see a Mirage IIIV today?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The surviving Mirage IIIV, prototype 01, is on display at the Mus\u00e9e de l'Air et de l'Espace at Le Bourget, near Paris.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/ewr-vj-101-first-supersonic-vtol-fighter-germany-1964\/\">EWR VJ 101: The First VTOL Fighter to Break the Sound Barrier<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/hawker-siddeley-p-1154-supersonic-harrier-cancelled-1965\/\">Hawker Siddeley P.1154: The Supersonic Harrier Britain Cancelled<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/dornier-do-31-only-vtol-jet-transport-ever-flown\/\">Ten Engines, One of a Kind: the Dornier Do 31<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>France&#8217;s Mirage IIIV used eight lift jets and a turbofan to take off vertically, and hit Mach 2.04 in 1966. NATO&#8217;s requirement died first.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":28120268,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[666,664],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28120332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-and-legends","category-military-aviation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Mirage IIIV: France&#039;s Nine-Engine Mach 2 VTOL | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Dassault Mirage IIIV had nine engines, hovered in 1965 and reached Mach 2.04 in 1966, the fastest VTOL of its era. 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