Researched 2026-10-11 from the sources listed below. Airframes move between hangars, workshops and loans: check with Yorkshire Air Museum before travelling to see this one.
The airframe in brief
| Serial / registration | 45 |
|---|---|
| Type | Dassault Mirage IVA |
| First flew | 6 May 1966 |
| Delivered | 3 June 1966, French Air Force |
| Last flight | 11 September 1991 |
| Flying hours | 6,309 (2,975 landings) |
| Previously displayed | Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie, Paris, March 1995 to January 2009 |
| Arrived | 30 March 2017, by road from Châteaudun |
| Markings | CIFAS 328 'Aquitaine', code BR |
| Status | On display |
| Where | Yorkshire Air Museum, York |
The story of 45
Mirage IVA No. 45 first flew on 6 May 1966, with Elie Buge at the controls. It was handed to the French Air Force on 3 June 1966.
It served with France's strategic nuclear force for 25 years. By its last flight, on 11 September 1991, it had logged 6,309 flying hours and 2,975 landings. It then went to the air base at Châteaudun.
From March 1995 to January 2009 it was on show at the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie in Paris. It then returned to Châteaudun.
Elvington asked for a Mirage IV because of its wartime link with France. About 2,300 French personnel served there with 346 'Guyenne' and 347 'Tunisie' Squadrons, the only French heavy bomber units in Bomber Command. Negotiations took about 12 years, partly because of arms-limitation treaty protocols.
The fuselage, wings and wheels left Châteaudun by road in late March 2017 and reached Elvington on 30 March. Reassembly began within days. The aircraft was unveiled that September. It wears the markings of CIFAS 328 'Aquitaine', the strategic forces training centre, and the code 'BR'.
Seeing 45 today
No. 45 is displayed at Elvington as part of the museum's memorial to the French squadrons that flew from the airfield.
| Museum | Adult entry | Airframes | Headline exhibit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yorkshire Air MuseumYork, North Yorkshire | £17 | 54 | Halifax 'Friday the 13th' — the world's only complete Halifax reconstruction, honouring the type that flew from this very field —… |
Also known as: Mirage IV 45 · 45/BR · Bravo Romeo · Elvington Mirage IV