Mirage Mania at Waddington
2023 delivered one of the UK’s most remarkable deployment of exotic fast jets when five Indian Air Force Mirage 2000s took part in Cobra Warrior 23‑1 at RAF Waddington.
In the run‑up to any major exercise the rumour mill always spins up, but January 2023 felt different. Once word of an Indian contingent began circulating, anticipation surged. Many doubted it would materialise — deploying Mirage 2000s to the UK is a significant undertaking, involving a demanding 6,800 km transit. Although the UK had previously hosted Indian fast jets in 2007 and 2015, those visits involved Su‑30MKIs - an aircraft with roughly double the range of the more compact French‑built Mirage.
To the delight of European enthusiasts, the deployment did indeed go ahead. Five Mirage 2000Is from 7 Squadron at Gwalior Air Force Station, supported by an IL‑78MKI tanker, touched down at RAF Waddington on 1 March ahead of the three‑week exercise. They were joined by six Finnish Air Force Hornets and six Belgian Air Force F‑16s. The Royal Saudi Air Force also contributed to the exercise, sending six Typhoons to operate alongside the resident RAF fleet.
