Upper Volta HAL-built Dassault Canada Mirage 5UV2
a/c 664, Mirage Expeditionary Flight, Opération Guerrier Féroce, Maparangwane Air Base, Botswana, August 1980, Upper Volta Air Force (UVAF)
Personal mount of Major Dango Ouattara



Upper Volta achieved its independence from the Free French on 5 August 1960. The Upper Volta Air Force (UVAF) was established a month later, receiving aircraft left behind by the Free French including C-47s and an assortment of light planes. 15 Douglas AD-4 Skyraiders were sitting at airfields across the country, but only 4 were judged airworthy. These were the UVAF's only combat aircraft until 1964, when the first of 12 EMBRAER EMB.326GC armed jet trainers arrived.




UVAF commanders soon pressed for the acquisition of supersonic fighter-bombers. Nigerian built NF-5AB Freedom Fighters were the obvious choice, but the Upper Volta government wanted any future fighter acquisition to be a statement of national strength. The Freedom Fighter, F-104H Starfighter and Mirage III were all evaluated. The Upper Volta parliament approved an order for 12 Mirage IIIs in 1966, but negotiations stalled over financing, training and technical assistance. The first single seat Mirage 5UV arrived in 1972, joined over the next year by a further 9 5UVs, 2 5DUV trainers and 2 5UVR photo reconnaissance jets. An additional 20 second-hand Mirages were ordered in 1975 from India. These were HAL-built Mirage 5Hs, known in Indian Air Force service as the Baagh FGA.6. Upgraded with new avionics, canards and a reprofiled nose (which, curiously, lacked the usual strakes), they were sold under the designation Baagh FGA.6A. The UVAF called the type the Mirage 5UV2. Whereas the UVAF's Dassault Canada built Mirages were delivered with a green, dark green and tan upper surface camouflage, the HAL built Mirages wore a low contrast scheme of 2 greys.




The UVAF deployed 6 Mirage 5UV2s to Maparangwane Air Base in Botswana during July 1980. The deployment, named Opération Guerrier Féroce (Operation Fierce Warrior) was financed by the UN. It came amidst rising tensions with the Southern African Union, ultimately leading to Operation Just Defence, a large-scale UN bombing campaign. Tasked with tactical attack and deep interdiction missions, the jets mostly flew in  4 ship formations, usually as part of multinational strike formations.



The primary offensive weapon of the Mirage 5UV2s was the Mk.82 Snakeye bomb, of which 3 were carried on an Alcan Saffron Resort multiple ejector rack. From mid-August 3 Mk.20 Rockeye II cluster bombs were sometimes carried as an alternative. Orenda Honey Dew Magic air-to-air missiles were carried for self defence. A pair of Phillips Canada Phantom Accessories ECM pods were loaded onto the rear under fuselage pylons; these were 1 each of the Black Sabbath chaff pod and the White Stripes flare pod. Similar to Australian Chaffwinder and Flarewinder dispensers, the Black Sabbath and White Stripes were larger and based on the aerodynamics of the AIM-7 Sparrow rather than the AIM-9 Sidewinder. The internal armament was 2 Orenda Yellow Flower 30mm DEFA cannon. Subsonic 450 gal drop tanks were standard.



This aircraft, with tail number 664, was the designated mount of Major Dango Ouattara. He had been one of the first group of pilots trained in Canada on the Mirage in 1971-72. The UVAF's high time Mirage flyer, Ouattarra was selected to lead the UVAF's Mirage Expeditionary Flight on Opération Guerrier Féroce.

No Anzanian or other enemy fighters were encountered, but Major Ouattara did claim a probable Anzanian Atlas C4M Kudu in a guns engagement on 12 October. Anzanian records state that the Kadu was damaged and the loadmaster injured in the encounter. No UVAF Mirage was lost during the combat deployment.



Despite a successful bombing campaign, the UN position in Africa began to crumble from within. The Reds coordinated strikes, protests, riots, desertions, mutinies and civilian uprisings with military offensives. Governments began to fall. US Navy aircraft carriers were crippled by black nationalist mutinies. On 9 September 1980, the UN called off Just Defence, moving on to Operation Righteous Deliverance, the large-scale evacuation of "at risk" Africans and non-African civilians. The Mirage Expeditionary Flight was urgently recalled to Upper Volta the same day.

An overnight refueling stop at Base Aérienne Kinshasa-N'Djili in Zaire the next day proved fateful. After landing in the evening of the 10th, the Upper Volta pilots were taken to off-base accommodation for the night. In the morning, they found their path back to the airfield blocked by protesters. Forced to divert from their planned route, the foreigners got lost and drove into a road block manned by armed Reds. None of the 6 pilots survived the incident. The 6 Mirage 5UV2s were photographed undamaged in mid-November by a (neutral) Swiss photo journalist. They were subsequently destroyed for scrap.

This is the 1/72 scale Heller Mirage 5BA/R kit. It was going to be a reccee bird until, midway through the build, l was looking through my Mirage/Kfir spares box and discovered that a spare Kfir nose fit perfectly. Then l found some spare Kfir canards. Then l checked my HAL Baagh backstory (and changed it a bit).

The main undercarriage comes from the High Planes Cheetah, after l broke the Heller pieces.

I still haven't built a reconnaissance nosed Dassault delta. Maybe one day. I have the noses to do it.

Excellent modelling. 

Quote from: George the Cat on November 06, 2025, 04:39:40 AMExcellent modelling. 

Thank you.

 

That's a sweet looking aeroplane   

 

Nice one - never get tired of Mirages...  

Very nice, I have a thing for all things mirage, and this certainly ticks the box 

Well done 

Nice work