An article that gives an illustration of the use of Mirage 2000 by France:
206 bombes tirées (au moins) à Barkhane (actualisé)
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
206 bombs fired (at least) in Barkhane (updated)
206 bombs were fired in 2020 (at least) by the air force fighter, a figure that does not include the volume provided by MQ-9 Reaper UAVs, the staff replied. The volume fired by the 33rd ESRA's UAVs is, as this blog has explained several times, just as significant. It is therefore, for the muds alone, almost three times more than in 2019 (83). And at the rate of four bombs per week. The number of strikes is not given.
Without real surprise, this volume of ammunition, only for the 3rd EC, is in very clear increase, reflecting the renewed activity and attrition in the Sahel, for which 3D is responsible for 80%. The muds ensured four daily sorties on average, for seven aircraft assigned to Barkhane.
It should also be noted that the three Reapers flew more hours (7552) than the seven Mirage 2000Ds (5387).
Intelligence activity, including drones, totalled 13,966 flight hours, with between "5 and 6 daily flights", carried out by light ISR and ALSR aircraft on the one hand, and drones and the Gabriel on the other.
Despite an almost identical number of Rafale sorties (840 against 832 in 2019), the volumes of ammunition dropped for Chammal are much lower, reflecting the sharp decline in the threat represented by Daech. Which has nevertheless not disappeared: just to persuade the French (as the minarm does every time it brings up the subject), it would therefore have been good to give this figure, like the other indicators, even if it may seem less to the advantage of the air weapon (whose purpose is not to shoot for the sake of shooting, especially at Chammal).
More regular firing has taken place since the beginning of 2021, including the first Talios firing (carried out by the 4th EC). And as the aircraft carrier gets closer to the theatre, other shots should take place, if only through the two slots that will be dedicated to Daech, from the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf.
As this blog had explained, in 2019, 84 bombs had been fired in Chammal and 83 in Barkhane by the AAE.
What is interesting to note is that with four daily sorties they have done 1460 sorties in the year and with 5387 hours in the year each sortie was 3.7 hour on average. And with 7 mirage only they each flew 770 hours in the year.