FRENCH COUTEAU DELTA TACTICAL DISPLAY STARTS TRAINING FOR 2018 SEASON

Armée de l'Air Couteau Delta Mirage 2000D Tactical Display 2018.

The Team announced on its Facebook page that they have resumed the two ship flight training for the next acrobatic season, March 12. In 2017 the Team thrilled the crowd in the most important European events such as RIAT and NATO Days. After some individual flights, the pilots rejoined to fly in formation and test the new aerobatic program.

The Couteau Delta tactical display, one of the French Air Force's several demonstration teams, flies two examples of the Dassault Mirage 2000D strike aircraft. First flown in 1978, the Mirage 2000 has been in service with the Armée de l'Air since the early 1980s, in fighter and conventional strike versions as well as the nuclear-capable 2000N, which forms part of the backbone of France's Forces Aériennes Stratégiques (Strategic Air Forces), and the 2000D, which performs conventional attack missions. This version serves solely with France; other customers for the Mirage 2000 are Egypt, Greece, India, Peru, Qatar, the Republic of China and the UAE. It remains a highly manoeuvrable and effective combat aircraft, and has seen extensive operational use with the French Air Force in its different variants, not least over Iraq, the Balkans, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria. 

Newly formed prior to the 2017 season (More details here), the Couteau Delta team comes from Escadrons de Chasse 2/3 'Champagne' and 3/3 'Ardennes' at Nancy-Ochey. During the performance, the Team shows the public some of the maneuvers commonly used during real combat operations.

Written by Matteo Sanzani

Images: Couteau Delta