Ukraine

Ukraine to receive six Mirage 2000-5F fighters from France by mid-2025

France will deliver six Mirage 2000-5F fighter jets to Ukraine, complete with a full support package, according to French MP Frank Giletti in his recent budget review on 11 November 2024, Zone Militaire reports.

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.

This delivery will mark a shift in France’s defense strategy. Previously, when the UK, US, and Germany approved the transfer of their Challenger 2, M1 Abrams, and Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu made it clear that France won’t supply its Leclercs.

Lecornu stated that any arms transfer to Ukraine must meet three criteria: be defensive to “control escalation,” maintain France’s security model, and ensure equipment readiness, with Leclerc tank maintenance being a “sensitive issue.”

Nonetheless, in June 2024 when President Emmanuel Macron announced that an undisclosed number of Mirage 2000-5Fs would be sent to Ukraine. Zone Militaire says 28 such aircraft remained in service as of 31 December 2023, citing the French Armed Forces Ministry’s 2024 “Chiffres clés de la Défense” brochure, which details key statistics on the French military.

Last month, Lecornu noted that Mirage 2000-5Fs would be sent to Ukraine in the first half of 2025, once Ukrainian pilots and technicians complete their training. The aircraft were undergoing modifications to enable them to carry air-to-ground munitions and to improve their electronic warfare system, according to him.

Following Macron’s announcement, La Tribune initially estimated that France could send six Mirage-2000-5 jets to Ukraine without additional supplies from other countries, later lowering this figure to only three after Lecornu’s statement. Meanwhile, Avions Legendaires reported that Paris could potentially transfer up to 20 Mirages.

Now, Giletti’s budgetary review clarified that France will shortly be delivering “six Mirage 2000-5F to the Ukrainian Armed Forces” with a “complete support model” for maintenance and operational readiness.


Related:

You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this. 

We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia’s war against Ukraine and Ukraine’s struggle to build a democratic society.

A little bit goes a long way: for as little as the cost of one cup of coffee a month, you can help build bridges between Ukraine and the rest of the world, plus become a co-creator and vote for topics we should cover next. Become a patron or see other ways to support.

Become a Patron!




Source link

Back to top button