France has handed over the first Mirage 2000-5F fighter jets to Ukraine. This was announced by French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecorneuil.
“On June 6, 2024, Emmanuel Macron announced the transfer of Mirage 2000 fighters to Ukraine. The first of them arrived today,” Lecornu said.
These aircraft will be used to protect Ukraine’s airspace. They will be flown by Ukrainian pilots who have undergone several months of training in France.
Le 6 juin 2024, @EmmanuelMacron avait annoncé la livraison à l’Ukraine de Mirage 2000 français.
— Sébastien Lecornu (@SebLecornu) February 6, 2025
Les premiers d’entre eux sont arrivés aujourd’hui en Ukraine.
Avec à leur bord les pilotes ukrainiens formés pendant plusieurs mois en France, ils participeront désormais à défendre…
Paris had announced its intention to provide Ukraine with these fighters in the summer of 2024. Along with the planes, France has also taken over the training of 4,500 Ukrainian soldiers. In October, the French Defense Minister clarified that the deliveries would take place in the first quarter of 2025.
According to La Tribune, the first batch of Mirage 2000-5F fighters that France will supply to Ukraine in the first quarter of 2025 will consist of three aircraft.
The fighters of this modification will be modernized before being handed over to the Ukrainian Air Force. This will allow the aircraft to use weapons against ground targets.
After the modernization, the aircraft will be able to use French-British SCALP EG/Storm Shadow cruise missiles and French AASM adjusted air bombs.