French Mirage 2000-5Fs to be donated to Ukraine
October 16, 2024
On 8 October 2024, French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu confirmed that France will provide Ukraine with about 20 ex-Armée de l’Air et de l’Éspace Dassault Mirage 2000-5F aircraft in the first quarter of 2025. The training of Ukrainian pilots and mechanics is reportedly already underway in France.
The delivery of Mirage 2000s to Ukraine has been under discussion for a long time, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that: “We are talking about fighter planes with France,” as long ago as February 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron then announced the proposed delivery during a television interview on 6 June 2024.
The exact number of aircraft to be transferred was not disclosed. The French Air Force originally received 124 Mirage 2000Cs, 37 of which were upgraded to the Mirage 2000-5F standard. The ‘dash-five’ entered service with Groupe de Chasse 01.002 in 1999, at Air Base 102 at Dijon-Longvic. The unit relocated to Air Base 116 at Luxeuil-Saint-Sauveur, in Gironde, in 2012. A handful are deployed to Base Aérienne 188 at Ambouli international airport in Djibouti.
The French Air Force currently has about 20-24 Mirage 2000-5Fs in service. They were expected to serve until around 2028-29 but could be retired earlier than that to expedite deliveries to Ukraine deal. Lecornu has said that replacement Dassault Rafales could be delivered ahead of schedule.
Sébastien Lecornu has said that: “The Mirage 2000s that will be delivered to Ukraine will be equipped with new equipment. The aim is to equip them with air-to-ground combat capabilities and strengthen their electronic warfare system. This transformation operation will take place at the Cazaux base in Gironde. But the most important thing is the training of pilots and mechanics, which is continuing in Nancy.” The operation will involve “five to six months” of training, provided by the French government, in France, though President Volodymyr Zelensky had initially requested training in Ukraine.
French government officials confirmed the aircraft would be delivered with unspecified new technology, focusing on the air-to-ground role. This might include a radar upgrade, as the current RDY radar is not optimised for use in the air-to-ground role. There might be some new weapons integrations including SCALP-EG cruise missiles and AASM Hammer glide bombs. The upgrade work is being undertaken at Cazaux air base.
