Mirage 2000 aircraft will be equipped so that Ukrainian pilots have an advantage over the enemy.
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov assured this.
French Mirage 2000 fighters will arrive in Ukraine in the first quarter of next year, the minister said.
The day before, his French colleague Sebastien Lecornu also announced that France would provide Ukraine with the Mirage 2000 in early 2025. Umerov said that during the meeting they discussed “which platforms will be transferred, modernization, pilot training, infrastructure, avionics.”
According to Umerov, during the meeting it was also discussed what France could transfer to Ukraine after providing the Mirage 2000.
And we discussed what opportunities Mirage could still provide us with. “We are grateful that we are on schedule, and soon, I hope, we will have fighter jets,” the minister added.
France will supply Ukraine with Mirage 2000 fighters equipped with new air-to-ground weapons in January-March 2025, Lecornu previously assured.
Why the Ukrainian Armed Forces need the French Mirage-2000
According to the specialized publication Defense News, the French company Dassault Aviation manufactured about 600 Mirage 2000 aircraft, half of which were exported to eight countries, including Greece, the United Arab Emirates and Taiwan. The plane is about 14 meters long, its wingspan is about nine meters, has an empty weight of 7,500 kilograms and reaches a maximum speed of about 2,700 kilometers per hour.
The Mirage 2000-5 is an upgraded version of this combat aircraft that has an improved radar and can be equipped with Mica air-to-air missiles, as well as carry SCALP-EG air-launched cruise missiles supplied by France to Ukraine.
In a conversation with DW, Oleg Katkov, editor-in-chief of the specialized Ukrainian publication Defense Express, expressed confidence that French aircraft will become a significant reinforcement for the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, primarily in air defense. “The main and first task of the Mirages will be to provide air defense – to repel attacks, primarily cruise missiles, as well as drones,” the expert believes.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.