mirage 2000 was good, but lets be real. airframe design is old. its from the mirage iii. 2 generations ago.
Delta 2000 was developped upon the idea that the delta wing would provide a very low wing load, hence a edge over the new F-16 (against which Mirage F1 failed in european deals). Export was the goal (Dassault hoped that France would pay for the M4000).
Though the airframe looks like the MIII’s, one shouldn’t discard the considerable enhancements on the wings (different optimisations) with leading edge slats and different profile. Also the strakes were what Dassault chose from previous experiences with canards on other prototypes (modified MIII). Add to this the FBW system, and whatever the appereances, the M2000 was a new airframe, very efficient, very maneuverable, not suffering from slow speed such as the Mirage III.
In the end, France chose this little airframe, because the 4000 was too costly (though incredibly ambitious). One can consider that sacrifying the 4000 allowed France to save money and finally go for her so much awaited twin engine aircraft.
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