So says the dictionary regarding the word chosen by Dassault as the name for the first European aircraft capable of sustained Mach 2 flight. The prototype was a response to a French Air Force requirement for a high altitude interceptor, originally called the Mystere Delta. This was an incredibly advanced specification for 1953, calling for an aircraft capable of Mach 2 that could reach 60,000ft in under six minutes; issued at a time when transonic flight was in its infancy Perhaps the engineers working on the project thought they knew something everyone else was missing when they changed its name to Mirage I. The difficulties facing them were severe; this was completely new territory in aerodynamic terms, but the aircraft that emerged from this programme was a triumph, an artistic expression of elegance. lithe and streamlined, its curves flowing into razor sharp lines made it look like it was doing Mach 2 standing still. like the F-86 Sabre in the US, the impossibly futuristic shape captured the imagination of the public, creating a multi-media icon as powerful as the Spitfire is in Britain.
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