Ukraine should receive the first Mirage 2000 fighter jets from France in the first quarter of 2025, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Oct. 8.
French President Emmanuel Macron unveiled in June that Paris would provide Kyiv with an unspecified number of Mirage 2000-5 planes to boost its airpower.
The planes "will be equipped with new equipment: air-to-ground combat capabilities and anti-electronic warfare defense," Lecornu noted.
"The training of Ukrainian pilots and mechanics continues."
The first cohort of Ukrainian pilots have completed Alpha Jet training in France, the French Armed Forces announced on Sept. 20.
The Mirage 2000 is a multirole aircraft designed in the late 1970s and introduced in 1984.
The 2000-5 version has upgraded radar systems and can carry fuel drop tanks, greatly increasing its range. The French media previously reported that the version delivered to Ukraine would be equipped to hit ground targets.
The Mirage 2000-5 is a fourth-generation fighter jet, meaning it is in the same class as the U.S.-made F-16 that Ukraine's Air Force already operates.
Denmark and the Netherlands were the first countries to deliver their F-16s, making them the first Western fighter jets in Ukraine's arsenal.
While Kyiv awaits Mirages and additional F-16s, it is also in talks to acquire Swedish-made Saab JAS 39 Gripen and the Eurofighter Typhoon fighters.
Martin Fornusek
