Armchair
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We have a senior and well-respected poster on PDF who has said so. I'm sure he too would be a fanboy to you, since that's the depth of your intellect.Totally fan boy stuff
https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/introducing-jf-17-thunder-block-ii.382544/page-9#post-8427665
Here is a hint. If you do your own research, you will find the proverbial golden goose. But I don't spoon-feed people incapable of research and polite conversation.
I find it pretty hard to believe PAF has Mirages that have been rebuilt multiple times yet it has not done structural upgrades to improve performance. Only avionics and system upgrades in the form of ROSE program.
There were so many possibilities the Atar-9C (60.8kn) engines could have been updated/swapped to the much more fuel efficient, robust and easier to maintain Atar-9K50 (70.6 kN) just as the Swedish Mirage 3 Milan. The South Africans even manage to upgrade their Mirage F-1s with RD-93s. Found an old article in which Israel offered to upgrade Mirage 3/5s for customers with the GE404 engine from the F-18 and JAS-39 Gripen. Even in it's own inventory Israel is rumored to have re engined it's Mirage 3Cs with J79 engines (83.4 kN). An aircraft goes through several engines in it's life time, PAF has been operating and will continue to operate them for a considerable time so it would have saved maintenance costs by switching to a better engine.
Brazilian & Portuguese got the Mirage 3NG upgrades (also Atar 9K-50 powered) which added leading edge trailing flaps, FBW and several systems bringing it close to the Mirage-2000.
https://dave-llamaman.deviantart.com/art/Portuguese-Mirage-3NG-625544162
Swedish Mirage 3s had fixed canards added to increase lift and lower required runway lengths. Added drag sacrificed acceleration and speed which they made up with rocket boosters. They also had additional lift hook points on the aircrafts so they can be lifted by crane and moved inside their mountain shelters.
PAF had loads of options and with older parts availability an issue it could have modernized them better. R&D for the updates had already been done by the OEM. Cost wouldn't have been a major issue as they could have been carried out at rebuilds or engine replacement intervals. At least the re engining to Atar 9K-50 should have been carried out. Israel is still offering Kfir upgrades in the form of Kfir Block-60 adding a AESA radar and modernization to match modern warfare requirements. The Kfir Block-60 is in fact eyeing some of the same potential customers as PAC is working for JF-17 as an even cheaper option.
So either there was short sightedness or PAF is keeping us in he dark about the extent of upgrades on the Mirages.
Update: According to wikipedia PAF Mirages equipped with Grifo-M have been updated to carry the PL-12/SD-10.
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Very interesting and well-written post, as usual from you Shabi1. But do you have any more information on the current BVR on the Mirages? Given the number of AMRAAMs bought, it would suggest PAF may have them on the Mirages as well as the F-16s. AAMs have about a decade of shelf-life. R-Darters in that case are probably phased out by now from the Mirage fleet. Unless the missiles where rebuilt.