How Ukraine can use French Mirage fighter jets: Expert explains
Illustrative photo: Mirage 2000-5 (Getty Images)
French Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets, which Ukraine may soon receive, will primarily perform two functions, one of which is strengthening air defense, RBC-Ukraine reports, citing Ukrainian aviation expert Valerii Romanenko.
According to the expert, the fighter jets can first serve as backup platforms for launching Storm Shadow missiles.
The second function involves bolstering air defense. However, caution is required in this regard since Ukraine's Defense Forces are already using F-16s, and in general, aircraft are better off avoiding areas covered by anti-aircraft missile systems.
"It's important to separate tasks between the two types. Therefore, I don't think these will primarily be used as air defense fighters. However, they are versatile and can perform numerous functions, such as dropping cruise bombs like the French AASM Hammer or launching anti-radar missiles to breach enemy air defenses," Romanenko added.
Mirage 2000 for Ukraine
In early June last year, French President Emmanuel Macron officially announced Paris' plans to transfer Mirage 2000 fighter jets to Ukraine. Media reports suggested that Kyiv would receive the modernized version of the French aircraft.
In November, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that France had accelerated the transfer process. Furthermore, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot later clarified that Ukraine would receive the aircraft by the end of the first quarter of 2025.
