Summary
- France will supply Mirage 2000-5 jets to Ukraine by the end of 2024 to aid in defending against Russian threats.
- The jets will come equipped with advanced capabilities like intercepting Russian jets and missiles.
- This announcement signals France’s commitment to supporting Ukraine in the conflict and may lead to potential supply of Greek Mirage 2000-5s.
In a surprise move, France24 reported an interview in which French President Macron announced that France will supply Ukraine with an unspecified number of Mirage 2000-5 multirole fighter jets. This comes in addition to the F-16AM/BM Block 15 MLU Fighting Falcons being supplied by The Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, and Norway. The first F-16s from Denmark are expected to arrive this summer, and Norwegian jets will arrive in the autumn.
Mirage 2000-5 to Ukraine by end of 2024
In the interview, Macron stated that France would provide Mirage 2000-5 jets to Ukraine and train the Ukrainian pilots. He also suggested that training would start today (he said tomorrow, yesterday). He outlined an ambitious timeline to deliver the jets to Ukraine in around six months. The French jets are thought to be useful in shooting down Russian jets, cruise missiles, and drones.
Photo: VanderWolf Images l Shutterstock
“Tomorrow we will launch a new cooperation and announce the transfer of Mirage 2000-5… You need normally between five-six months. So by the end of the year there will be pilots. The pilots will be trained in France.” – French President Marcon (reported by France24)
The French President also stated that France would equip and train a Ukrainian brigade (around 4,500 troops). Early in the Full-scale Russian Invasion of Ukraine, France took a more diplomatic role, trying to keep the dialogue open with Moscow to find a political solution to the conflict. The latest announcement reinforces France’s commitment to Ukraine and its apparent belief that Moscow is in no mood to negotiate an end to the conflict.
The announcement also opens the possibility of Ukraine receiving the Mirage 2000-5 Mk2s that Greece is retiring (Greece is retiring its older F-16s and Mirage 2000s). According to one commentator, this Greek variant would bring the capability to attack the Russian Black Sea Fleet with AM39 Exocet anti-ship missiles.
The announcement is a curious twist in the ongoing saga of supplying Western jets to Ukraine. Following the announcement that Belgium would donate 30 old F-16s to Ukraine, Sweden announced they were suspending plans to supply Swedish Gripens. The Kyiv Post reported Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson as saying its Western Allies had asked Sweden not to send Gripens so that Ukraine could concentrate on receiving one type of Western jet (the F-16) at a time.
Related
Denmark Will Allow Ukraine To Fly Its F-16s Into Russia Proper
Ukraine will be able to use Danish and Dutch F-16s to strike into Russia, while Belgium is saying only for use in 1991-border Ukraine.
The Mirage 2000-5 multi-role fighter
The Mirage 2000-5 variant comes with advanced avionics, countermeasures, radars, and the ability to carry out air-to-air, air-to-sea, and air-to-land missions. It is an upgraded version of the Mirage 2000 and has received a new radar, an updated cockpit, and other improvements. Kyiv Post
Photo: VanderWolf Images | Shutterstock
According to Dassault Aviation (the company that made the jets), the first Mirage 2000 flight was in 1978 and was first introduced into operational service in 1984. 600 Mirage 2000s were produced, half of which were exported. Export countries include Brazil, Egypt, Greece, India, Peru, Qatar, Taiwan, and the UAE. France is gradually replacing its Mirage jets with more modern Rafale jets.