Article Summary: France has officially delivered Mirage 2000-5 fighters to Ukraine, strengthening its air force with a high-performance jet capable of both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions.
Point #1 – While Ukraine still awaits U.S.-supplied F-16s, the Mirage 2000 offers key advantages, including integration with SCALP-EG cruise missiles and advanced Thales electronic warfare systems.
Point #2 – These upgrades could make the Mirages more survivable than Ukraine’s incoming F-16s. With Ukrainian pilots now trained and the first aircraft already in combat service, this swift delivery highlights France’s commitment to aiding Ukraine’s defense—and raises questions about whether the Mirage 2000 will outperform other Western-supplied fighter jets in the war.
France Delivers Mirage 2000-5 Fighters to Ukraine—A Game-Changer?
Only eight months after French President Emmanuel Macron promised to deliver the French-made Dassault Mirage 2000-5 fighter aircraft, the fleet arrived in Ukraine. The aircraft, a single-engine high-performance fighter initially built in the 1980s, is today operated by the French, United Arab Emirates, Indian, Republic of China—and now Ukraine—air forces.
“These aircraft arrived comparatively quickly,” said a retired Ukraine military official speaking with 19FortyFive. “The US built thousands of F-16s and France only built around 600 of the Mirage 2000 models, but it – counterintuitively – took the Americans almost four times the amount of time provide any aircraft at all to Ukraine.”
“Ukraine’s air fleet continues to develop,” wrote President Volodymyr Zelensky on his social media accounts.
“The first Mirage 2000 jets from France have arrived, adding to our air defense capabilities. I thank [French President] Emmanuel Macron for his leadership and support. France’s president keeps his word, and we appreciate it. This is another step in strengthening Ukraine’s security.”
And Then There Were Six
The French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu confirmed the delivery of the Mirage fighters, saying: “Manned by Ukrainian pilots who have trained in France for several months, they will now participate in the defense of Ukraine’s skies.”
At press time, there was no official number of the Mirages transferred to Ukraine, but the first set of aircraft was supposedly six models equipped with all the necessary air-to-air and air-to-ground modes.
“These modern combat aircraft have already arrived in Ukraine and will soon begin carrying out combat missions, strengthening our defense and enhancing our ability to effectively counter Russian aggression,” Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said. At least one of the aircraft is a two-seat combat-capable trainer model, one of which was seen in an official Ukraine MoD photo showing the Mirage painted in Ukraine livery.
Mirage 2000-5 Advantage: Different Weapons
Lecornu stated that the future Ukrainian Mirages will be modified. “The aim is to equip them with air-to-ground combat capabilities and strengthen their electronic warfare system,” said Lecornu. “This transformation operation will take place at the Cazaux base in Gironde.”
La Tribune, one of the main French publications covering the aerospace sector, reported that the aircraft delivered to Ukraine will initially be armed with MICA air-to-air missiles and two 30 mm DEFA 554 cannons. These weapons are a standard fit for the Mirage 2000, as the aircraft are optimized for the air-to-air mission.
The long-range Système de Croisière Autonome à Longue Portée—Emploi Général (SCALP-EG) air-launched cruise missiles, which is the French version of the UK’s Storm Shadow, will have to be integrated into the aircraft that have been donated to Ukraine.
There were no details revealed regarding the electronic warfare (EW) system to be fitted to the aircraft. Still, sources that 19FortyFive spoke with in Paris state it is likely the Thales Integrated Counter Measures Suite (ICMS) Mk3 that is the standard for the export model Mirage 2000s.
In its latest version, this fully digital system is linked to the radar warning and infrared warning receivers. The jammers/self-protection system is configured to engage EW modes or launch countermeasures automatically.
Mirage 2000-5
These aircraft, although small in number, will offer definite advantages for Ukraine that the F-16s do not offer, said the same military official.
“One is that Ukraine has been firing the Scalp EG and Storm Shadow missiles for some time now but has been doing so by integrating them to the Su-24 fighter bombers we had in inventory when the war began,” he explained. “They will be much more effective being launched from the aircraft they were designed initially to be fired from – and which has all the on-board fire control systems required to take full advantage of their performance.
French Air Force Dassault Mirage 2000C take off from RAF Brize Norton.
“Another is the EW system. Our experts are well aware of how capable the French are in this area of military technology and their assessment is that these aircraft will be more survivable than the F-16s we have now. This is due to this Thales kit being superior to whatever is left on board the US fighters after the Link 16 and other systems have been deleted.”
About the Author: Reuben F. Johnson
Reuben F. Johnson is a survivor of the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and is now an Expert on Foreign Military Affairs with the Fundacja im. Kazimierza Pułaskiego in Warsaw. He has been a consultant to the Pentagon, several NATO governments and the Australian government in the fields of defense technology and weapon systems design. Over the past 30 years he has resided in and reported from Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Brazil, the People’s Republic of China and Australia.
