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France to deliver upgraded Mirage 2000 fighters to Ukraine in 2025

The upgrades will include enhancing their air-to-ground combat capabilities and electronic warfare systems, as per France’s Defense Minister.
byYuri Zoria
08/10/2024
2 minute read
hellenic air force's dassault mirage 2000-5 illustrative haf_mirage_2000-5_-_low_pass (4)
Hellenic Air Force’s Dassault Mirage 2000-5. Illustrative image: Wikimedia Commons.
France to deliver upgraded Mirage 2000 fighters to Ukraine in 2025

France plans to deliver the promised Mirage 2000 fighters to Ukraine in the first half of 2025, according to French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu, as reported by Sud Ouest.

Currently, Ukraine relies on its small aging fleet of Soviet-era Mig-29 fighter jets and Su-24 bombers in the ongoing war against Russia. Recently, Ukraine started receiving the first F-16s, aimed at bolstering Ukrainian air capabilities. Additionally, France pledged to supply Ukraine with its Mirage 2000 jets. Also, Ukraine has been in talks on the transfer of Eurofighter and Sweden’s Gripen fighters. 

Lecornu stated that the fighter jets would be equipped with new systems at the Cazaux base in Gironde.

“We are equipping them with air-to-ground combat capabilities and strengthening their electronic warfare system,” he explained.

The Defense Minister emphasized that while the aircraft upgrades are important, the most crucial aspect is the training of Ukrainian pilots and mechanics, which is currently underway in Nancy, France.

Previously, when asked about the exact number of Mirage fighters Paris would provide and which other countries might join this military aid effort, French President Emmanuel Macron had responded, “I will not give you the quantity, nor the partners, nor the exact figure, simply to be effective.”

The Mirage 2000, a single-engine supersonic aircraft with a distinctive delta-shaped wing, served as the main fighter of the French Air Force for 20 years, starting from the mid-1980s. It began to be phased out when significant numbers of the new twin-engine Rafale arrived in the early 2000s. Military experts note that the Mirage 2000 is capable of carrying SCALP and Storm Shadow missiles, supplied to Ukraine by France and the UK, as well as guided bombs, and could significantly strengthen Ukraine’s aircraft fleet.

In June, La Tribune suggested that France could transfer only six Mirage 2000-5s, with contributions from other nations with the jets – Qatar, Greece, UAE – were needed for more. According to March media reports, France was considering the transfer of some 40 Mirage 2000s to Ukraine. In total, nine countries operate Mirages of all variants.

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