Dassault Mirage III KLu

In 1960 the Dutch Air force was looking for a supersonic fighter aircraft to bring the KLu into the supersonic age. Soon it became apparent that the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter was the favourite in this selection process.

However just before the final deal was made, a big bribery scandal broke. This implicated various people in the Dutch government and military including the husband of the Dutch queen. The result of this was that Lockheed was banned from the competition.

This new selection process resulted in a choice for the Dassault Mirage III. The first of 140 aircraft were delivered to the KLu in 1961. The Mirage III served with the KLu until it was replaced by the F-16 from 1979 onwards.

Kit: 1/48 Esci.