Article Summary and Key Points: Ukraine’s Mirage 2000-5F fighters saw their first combat action against a massive Russian missile and drone attack on March 7, highlighting the aircraft’s air-to-air and air-to-surface capabilities.
-Despite operating effectively alongside F-16s, the Mirages faced challenges due to older radar technology compared to advanced Russian Su-30 and Su-35 jets equipped with superior radars and longer-range air-to-air missiles.
Dassault Mirage 2000-5. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
-The loss of U.S. intelligence support further restricts Ukraine’s ability to fully utilize these fighters in air combat.
-Nevertheless, armed with modern European missiles like the SCALP-EG and Hammer, the Mirage remains an important asset in Ukraine’s defensive air operations.
Ukraine’s Mirage 2000 Fighters in Action: How Effective Are They Against Russian Missiles?
On March 7, the Dassault Mirage 2000-5F fighters donated to Ukraine by France became the “front line in the sky,” as one of the executives at a leading air defense company described the situation to 19FortyFive. The single-engine aircraft faced off against one of the largest drone and cruise missile attacks by Moscow since the February 2022 invasion launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Russian bombardment comprised 194 drones and 67 missiles fired against many regions in Ukraine. These included the western Ukraine cities of Ternopil and Ivano-Frankivsk. It was in the midst of this confusing and dangerous airborne shooting gallery that these Mirage 2000-5Fs experienced their first engagements of this war.
The Mirages operated alongside the US-made F-16s. “These F-16s are US-manufactured but not US-supplied,” said the same Ukraine defense industry official. “I want to remind everyone that these aircraft were made available or have been pledged to NATO-nation members Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway. The US—the largest and most powerful NATO member of all—told us they had none to spare.”
Ukraine deployed French and US combat aviation, air defense (PPO) batteries, and a growing and increasingly sophisticated electronic warfare network. This set of systems took down134 weapons fired at them, including 25 Kh-101 and Kh-55SM cruise missiles, eight Kalibr missiles, and 100 Iranian-made Shahed-type drones, which were designated the Geran-2 when it was license-assembled in Russia.
Strengths of the Mirage
While the F-16 has been marketed for decades as a multi-role aircraft capable of performing “all missions for any nation’s requirement,” the Dassault design team and the other partner firms involved in the Mirage 2000’s development have never been shy about the fact that the aircraft was initially intended for a primary role as an air superiority fighter.
Executives from what is today Thales (formerly Thomson-CSF) told me for years that the Mirage was a better air-to-air platform than most gave it credit for and even outperformed Dassault’s more modern design platform, the Rafale, in its older configurations due to the capabilities of the RDY radar set. Since then, the Mirage has received numerous upgrades to its avionics suite and is now cleared to fire some of the most advanced European weaponry. This assortment includes the latest MICA air-to-air missiles that are lethal at out to 80 kilometers or more.
The Ukrainian aircraft were specially outfitted to fire the SCALP-EG cruise missile donated to Ukraine in 2023. They are also able to launch the Hammer advanced air-to-surface missile.
When Ukraine first received the SCALP EGs, they were integrated into and launched from Ukraine Air Force (PSU) Sukhoi Su-24 aircraft and the Hammer by Mikoyan MiG-29s.
Russia’s Longer Reach
As much of a plus it is to have the Mirages to launch these weapons that were designed to be launched from this French aircraft—instead of from the Russian-design platforms that the PSU started the war with—there are still limitations vexing the Dassault fighter.
One is that the Mirage’s RDY radar is an older model mechanically-steered array (MSA) today. In contrast, the more modern Russian fighters like the Su-30 use passive electronically scanned array (PESA) radars. The Su-30SM uses the same NIIP N011M Bars radar created for the Indian Air Force Su-30MKI and the even more advanced N035 Irbis radar of the Su-35.
Several Ukrainian PSU and defense industry leaders have told 19FortyFive more than once that in the air-to-air fight, both of these fighters carry the Vympel R-77 air-to-air missile (AAM), which has a range that is rated at up to 70 miles and the R-37M that can hit targets at up to 200 miles away.
Mirage 2000-5.
This gives the Russians a more extended reach in the air-to-air fight. With the decision by the Trump Administration to cut off the intelligence data and satellite surveillance that it had been providing to Ukraine until recently, there is little chance that the Mirages will be going up against these Russian aircraft anytime soon.
Like the F-16s, they cannot effectively engage Su-30 and Su-35 fighters in direct aerial combat.
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.
