France offers Greece to send Mirage 2000 jets to Ukraine for Rafale discount
Photo: Greece had previously announced plans to modernize its fleet (Getty Images)
France has offered Greece a deal to transfer all of its Mirage 2000 fighter jets to Ukraine in exchange for Athens receiving a discount on the purchase of French Rafale aircraft, according to Le Parisien.
The proposal comes from Dassault Aviation and is expected to be presented by French President Emmanuel Macron during his visit to Greece on April 24 and 25.
Under the proposal, Greece will be able to exchange its fleet of 43 Mirage aircraft, including 24 Mirage 2000-5s and 19 older Mirage 2000 EGM/BGMs, as well as spare parts.
However, it is likely that not all of these aircraft will be in working order, as the older versions have already been decommissioned.
According to media reports, France is offering to supply Greece with a similar number of Rafale fighters at a reduced price. The specific terms of the deal and the exact cost of the aircraft will be finalized by the parties during negotiations.
Le Parisien notes that exchanging the Mirage fighters for Rafales will allow Greece’s 114th Fighter Wing to fully equip two squadrons with a total of 36 Rafale fighters.
Earlier, in March 2024, Greece had already announced its intention to decommission and sell its older fighter jet models, including the Mirage 2000 EGM/BGM and Mirage 2000-5. At that time, Defense Minister Nikos Dendias confirmed the government’s plans for a large-scale restructuring of the Greek armed forces as part of the largest reform program in the history of the modern Greek state.
As part of this reform, the Hellenic Air Force is considering the purchase of a batch of French Rafale fighter jets in the F4.3 configuration. The option of ordering Rafale F5s is also being considered, but they are not expected to enter service until at least 2035.
Strengthening Ukraine
On February 6, 2025, the French Minister of Defense announced that France had delivered the first Mirage 2000 fighter jets to Ukraine. In addition, pilots who had undergone months of training in France arrived in Ukraine along with the aircraft.
Just a month later, it became known that the Ukrainian military had used the provided fighter jets for the first time to destroy aerial targets during another massive Russian attack.
In February 2026, Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced that France was preparing to transfer a new batch of Mirage 2000 aircraft to Ukraine, as well as anti-ballistic missiles and AASM Hammer guided bombs.
