The Ukrainian Air Force received its first Dassault Mirage 2000-5 fighter jet on February 6, French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu said.
“The first of these aircraft arrived in Ukraine today,” he said on X, but did not reveal further details. The French government had previously indicated it would deliver three aircraft in the first quarter of 2025.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced the transfer of the Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets in June 2024 while Ukrainian pilots and ground personnel undergo training to operate them.
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According to a budget report released by the French National Assembly, six of 26 Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets are scheduled to be transferred to Ukraine, but the total could be higher.
Before being sent to Ukraine, the Armée de l’Air fighters underwent an upgrade at Cazaux Air Base to be able to carry out ground attack missions and to reinforce their electronic warfare system.
Among the main improvements is the ability to launch Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG cruise missiles.
Replacing the aging MiG-29 and Su-27
After seeing its fleet of Soviet-era fighters almost completely decimated by Russian forces since the military invasion in February 2022, Ukraine appealed to the West for more modern aircraft.
The Biden administration finally authorized the transfer of F-16 jets from Norway, Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands, which are replacing them with the 5th generation F-35 fighters.
The Ukrainian Air Force has undergone extensive training to operate the aircraft, which, despite their age, are more capable than the Su-27s and MiG-29s that formed the basis of the fleet.
The first F-16s were delivered last August, but one of them crashed in the first few weeks of service.
It is expected that Ukraine will also receive Gripen C/D fighters from Sweden in the near future.
