A French Dassault Mirage 2000D crashed in a deserted area of the region of Hombori, central Mali, on July 20, 2021. Both crew members, a pilot and a weapons system officer, ejected and were recovered, according to the French armed forces. One of them was reportedly injured and transported to Gao military base.
The aircraft, belonging to the 3rd Fighter Wing of the French Air Force, had taken off from the projected airbase (BAP) of Niamey, in Niger.
An investigation will be initiated to clarify the cause of this incident.
The Mirage 2000 is a multirole fighter jet developed by Dassault Aviation in the 1970s. The D (Diversified) variant is an updated version of the airframe with two seats. Based on the Mirage 2000N (Nuclear), which was until 2018 the main nuclear strike platform of the French Air Force, the Mirage 2000D was designed for long-range precision strikes using conventional weapons. As for the nuclear role, it has since been taken over by the Rafale, another Dassault aircraft.