Ten months after the announcement of the delivery of F-16 fighter planes by the Netherlands and Denmark, France has in turn decided to take the plunge. “We are going to launch a new cooperation and announce the sale of Mirage 2000-5,” declared Emmanuel Macron during an interview with TF1 and France 2, on the sidelines of the commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the Landing of June 6. A new milestone in French support for Ukraine, while Paris had until now refused for fear of weakening its air capabilities.
For the Ukrainian forces, the arrival of these new aircraft represents a qualitative leap. “The Mirage 2000-5 is much more efficient than the Mig 29 currently used by the Ukrainians, explains General (2S) Jérôme Pellistrandi, editor-in-chief of the National Defense Magazine. It is a modernized version of the Mirage 2000, dedicated to air defense, whose main targets are enemy planes and missiles.” Still used by the French forces, four of them were deployed last November in Šiauliai, Lithuania, to carry out air policing missions, and were involved in the interception of no less than five Russian planes at the end of February.
A complement to the F-16
If at this stage the head of state has not specified how many aircraft will be transferred to kyiv, he spoke of the creation of a “coalition with other partners”. Of the 37 Mirage 2000-5s which were delivered to the French Air Force by Dassault Aviation at the end of the 1990s, just under thirty are still in service today. In order not to reduce its capacities too much, Paris is therefore trying at the same time to rally other user countries – such as Greece, India or Brazil – to its cause.
“For it to be interesting for the Ukrainians, we would have to be able to provide them with at least a dozen aircraft, says Xavier Tytelman, former military aviator and aeronautical expert. But the ideal would be to reach 30 to 40 by joining forces with other countries.” A way for Ukrainian forces to keep an operational fleet despite probable losses in flight. These aircraft will be in addition to some 85 F-16 fighter jets previously promised by the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Belgium. In mid-May, Volodymyr Zelensky estimated that Ukraine needed “120 to 130 modern aircraft” to challenge Russia’s air superiority.
Protecting Ukrainian skies
At a time when Moscow is intensifying its strikes against Ukraine, the Mirage 2000-5 could prove invaluable in defending Ukrainian skies. Among their arsenal, the Mica air-to-air missile, with a range of 60 to 80 kilometers, which also arms Rafale aircraft. “The Mirage 2000-5s are not made to bomb land positions, but to shoot down enemy aircraft, notes General Pellistrandi. They will therefore be able to prevent Russian planes from penetrating Ukrainian airspace and possibly intercept missiles that are fired from Russian territory.” Allowing, ultimately, to reduce the threat hovering over Ukrainian cities.
Before getting there, however, there is the question of training kyiv’s forces on these new planes. In July 2023, 11 Western countries – including France – announced that they were joining forces to train Ukrainian pilots for the F-16, the first of which could be operational this summer. During his interview, Emmanuel Macron mentioned, with regard to the Mirage 2000-5, a training program of “five to six months” in France. “If it is intended for pilots who are currently already trained in France on Alpha-Jets, they could be operational by the end of the year or early 2025,” judges specialist Xavier Tytelman.
Moscow did not wait to see them flying in the Ukrainian sky to denounce the French decision. “Mr Macron demonstrates absolute support for the Ukrainian regime” criticized Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov on June 7, accusing France of being “ready to participate directly in the military conflict”. In any case, Russian planes could have it a little less easy in the future.
.