Mirage IV, Le Bombardier Fantastique

In 1994, Alain Crosnier published a long series of articles on Dassault's Mirage IV bomber.
In these articles, he offered what amounted to an "exegesis" of the aircraft's career, an aircraft that would be considered for a very long time not only the flagship of the Saint-Cloud design bureau, but also, and above all, the preferred instrument of de Gaulle's nuclear deterrence policy. The doctrine patiently developed by thinkers such as—among others—General Pierre Gallois would make the Mirage IV the cornerstone of France's foreign policy. It was thanks to this aircraft that, for several decades, many countries were able to see in France's policy of national independence a way to escape the Manichean choice between two superpowers during the height of the Cold War.
Today, these articles, written while the Mirage IV was still in service, remain as relevant as ever. This is why we felt it was important to bring them together in this book, which does not claim to be an exhaustive treatment of the subject. It simply offers a snapshot of a particular perspective—the way things were viewed nearly thirty years ago.

1. The Saga of France's First Nuclear Weapon Delivery System
2. Development and Deployment of the Mirage IV Component
3. Operational Posture, First Alert
4. Towards Low-Altitude Penetration
5. Electronic Warfare and War Paint
6. The Mirage IVP, Carrier of the ASMP (I)
7. The Mirage IVP, Carrier of the ASMP (II)