A French Air Force Mirage 2000D fighter jet has crashed in northern Mali on Tuesday due to a technical problem. The pilot and navigator ejected and were recovered unharmed.
The two pilots involved were safe, armed forces spokesman Colonel Pascal Ianni said. The crash occurred in Hombori region.
The military will open an investigation into the reasons for the crash but militant groups were not behind the incident, he said.
“Terrorist groups are not the cause of the problem”, Ianni said.
The Mirage 2000 is a multirole fighter jet developed by Dassault Aviation in the 1970s. The D (Diversified) variant is an updated version of the airframe with two seats.
Based on the Mirage 2000N (Nuclear), which was until 2018 the main nuclear strike platform of the French Air Force, the Mirage 2000D was designed for long-range precision strikes using conventional weapons.
As for the nuclear role, it has since been taken over by Rafale, another Dassault aircraft.
