The quest for supersonic speed wasn't the sole realm of the fighter designer. As engine power and efficiencies rose in the 1950s, bomber designers also began to see their dreams of ever higher speeds and flight become more plausible. Despite this, though, the supersonic bomber remained largely unattainable for all but the Americans and Soviets. That is, of course, with the exception of the Dassault Mirage IV. The Mirage IV is the only supersonic bomber in the world that reached mass production outside of the US and USSR. As a result, it put France in a very elite club of those capable of delivering nuclear weapons at greater than the speed of sound. This was no mean feat, and despite the fact that the early Mirage IV was barely a strategic aircraft, range-wise, it is a testament to the personnel that designed and built it. The early Mirage IVAs were armed with a single AN-11 or AN-22 60-70 kT thermonuclear weapon carried semi-recessed in a ventral 'bay', not unlike the large pod on a B-58 Hustler. However, the Mirage is a smaller aircraft, with only two engines and crew. Despite the impressive feat of engineering that the Mirage IV represents, nationalism seems to have played a part in ensuring that not many models of it were made. Whether it was a case of 'sour grapes' or genuine ignorance of the aircraft's importance, none of the non-French model makers chose to represent the IV in kit form. Other French aircraft, such as the Mirage III and V, F.1 and Super /tendard were kitted by various other companies, but the exclusive IVA remained just that; beyond the reach of most. Of course, the French model kit industry was not about to let their country's achievements go uncelebrated, and Heller issued the Mirage IVA in two sizes: 1/72 and 1/48.
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