France is boosting Ukraine’s air power with more Mirage 2000 jets, upgraded for both air defense and ground strikes, while co-production of drones and tighter NATO coordination are also underway.
In February, Ukraine received its first Mirage 2000 fighters from France, part of an undisclosed number of the multi-role aircraft that had been pledged the previous year. Before the recent NATO summit in The Hague, French President Emmanuel Macron met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss the transfer of additional Mirage 2000-5F jets, as well as the co-production of interceptor drones and enhanced diplomatic coordination.
How Have the Dassault Fighter Jets Helped Ukraine?
Since arriving in Ukraine, the Mirage 2000 fighters have been employed to intercept Russian cruise missiles and drones. It was reported in March that one of the French-made aircraft successfully downed a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile.
Although the exact number of Mirage 2000-5Fs was not disclosed, it is believed that Paris has provided Kyiv with between 12 and 20, and following the recent discussions between Macron and Zelensky, that number could be further increased. Additional aircraft could be transferred from the French Air and Space Force, while NATO member Greece has indicated it could supply Ukraine with its Mirage fighter as it seeks to receive newer Dassault Rafales.
Athens had previously sought to sell its French-made aircraft to India, but a deal failed to materialize.
Ukraine’s fleet of Mirage 2000s was also upgraded with an “RDY radar with pulse-Dopper mechanical scanning,” according to Zona-militar.com, and further equipped to carry the Anglo-French SCALP EG/Storm Shadow cruise missiles, as well as the French-made AASM guided bombs, which would allow the fighters to carry out ground attack missions.
Dassault Is Well Known for Making Quality Fighter Jets
The French-based Dassault produced a total of 601 Mirage 2000s in all configurations between 1978 and 2007. During that timeframe, the aircraft served as the backbone of the French Air and Space Force, while also scoring success in the export market. The Mirage is noted for bearing a superficial resemblance to the dynasty of Dassault’s “delta-winged” fighters that preceded it during the Cold War; yet, the aircraft featured significant advances over the earlier Mirages in terms of structure, aerodynamics, propulsion, and systems.
The Mirage 2000 is equipped with CCV (Controlled Configured Vehicle) technology, which includes fly-by-wire (FBW) controls that offer instantaneous response to pilot input. The aircraft has been steadily updated, and the first “second generation” Mirage 2000 was introduced in 1990 as the Mirage 2000-5, an export-optimized multirole combat aircraft. Initially tested as a two-seater, a single-seat model was subsequently introduced.
Earlier this month, the French military carried out a series of tests, engaging “stratospheric balloons operating at very high altitude,” which were shot down with MICA air-to-air missiles launched by Mirage 2000 and Rafale fighters. The balloons were flying at 65,000 feet, according to a social media post from French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu.
Paris has expressed concerns about stratospheric balloons since a Chinese high-altitude balloon made headlines in February 2023 when it was tracked crossing the United States before being shot down by a United States Air Force Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor off the coast of South Carolina. A total of four such high-altitude objects were shot down over North American airspace in the spring of that year, including one over Alaska, one over the Yukon, and one over Lake Huron.
The Mirage 2000s have shown to be more than capable of handling the balloons and even some Russian cruise missiles.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a thirty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image Credit: Shutterstock/Johannes Kraak.
