The F1 differed from previous Mirages in that it had swept wing and tail surfaces rather than the more common delta wing
The stunning footage in this post was shot more than two years ago and shows the last operational Armée de l’Air (French Air Force) Mirage F1s in action before their retirement on June 13, 2014.
The F1s featured in the film have historical paint schemes that were worn by the aircraft during its 40 years of active service with the Armée de l’Air.
The F1 differed from earlier Mirages in that it had swept wing and tail surfaces instead of the characteristic delta wing. It was designed to replace Mirage IIIC interceptors.
Several variants of the F1 were later created, similar to the Mirage III. The F1A was a radar-less ground attack version; the F1B was a twin-stick operational trainer; the F1C was developed into the F1CT attack version and the F1CR reconnaissance version; the F1E was a multirole aircraft with air superiority and ground-attack capabilities, and the F1D was a two-seater version based on the F1E.
The F1CRs and F1Bs from the reconnaissance unit 2/33 “Savoie” based at Mont-de-Marsan were the last Mirage F1s flown by the Armée de l’Air before their retirement.