On its official Twitter profile, the French Air and Space Force (Armée de l'Air et de l'Espace) published a video where a Dassault Mirage 2000D ground attack fighter appears flying low and fast in a show of strength during an air mission for troops on the ground.
#CulturAir Dans le cadre d'une mission d'appui des troupes au sol (close air ), les Mirage 2000 D de la BAP de Niamey peuvent être amenés à réaliser un "show of force", un age à très low altitude et très grande vitesse pour dissuader l'ennemi d'une quelconque action. pic.twitter.com/r2F9IKdDZ4
— Armée de l'Air et de l'Espace (@Armee_de_lair) August 11, 2021
In the Tweet, the organization explains that the fighter can be requested to perform a show of force in of the military on the ground. In the show of force, the aircraft designated for the Close Air (CAS) mission performs a at very high speed and flying at low altitude to intimidate enemy forces. The idea is to aggressively show the presence of the aircraft, as a last step before the real engagement with bombs and other weapons.
The Air Force also claims that the fighter came from Niamey Air Base in Niger's capital. Base Aérienne 101 Niamey shares facilities with Diori Hamani International Airport, which serves the Niger capital, and receives multiple Armée de l'Air aircraft participating in Operation Barkhane.
The operation began in 2014 and sees the deployment of French forces in Niger, Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso and Mauritania to fight jihadist insurgents involved with the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda. The countries, which were French colonies in the past, form the so-called “G5 of the Sahel”. President Emmanuel Macron announced that the operation will end in 2022.
On the 20th of July, a Mirage 2000D crashed in northern Mali when carrying out an air mission for troops in Hombiri. The fighter's two crew were rescued and French troops later located the wreckage of the fighter.
At the beginning of August, the Armée de l'Air announced the completion of the test campaign with two modernized Mirage 2000D to the RMV standard (Rénovation Mie-Vie). However, these jets were used in Djibouti, a country located in the Horn of Africa. The Mirages received integration with dual-mode bombs from the Paveway family (guided by laser and GPS), new 30mm cannon pod, short-range MICA IR missiles and new systems and avionics.
