France to hand over updated Mirage 2000 fighters to Ukraine in first half of 2025
Mirage 2000 fighters (Photo: EPA/VALDA KALNINA)

France will deliver the promised Mirage 2000 fighter jets to Ukraine in the first half of 2025, according to French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu, as reported by Sud Ouest.

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The combat aircraft will be equipped with new equipment at the base in Cazaux, Gironde, Lecornu said.

"The goal is to equip them with air-to-ground combat capabilities and to strengthen their electronic warfare system. But the most important aspect is the training of pilots and mechanics, which is taking place in Nancy," said the French defense chief.

Asked this summer about the number of Mirage jets France will provide and which other countries will participate in this military aid, French President Emmanuel Macron said, "I will not give you the number, nor the partners, nor the exact figure, simply to be effective."

REFERENCE
The single-engine supersonic Mirage 2000 aircraft, with its distinctive delta-wing design, was the main fighter jet of the French Air Force for 20 years, starting in the mid-1980s. It began to be phased out as the newer twin-engine Rafale jets entered service in significant numbers in the early 2000s. The Mirage 2000 is capable of carrying SCALP and Storm Shadow missiles, guided air bombs, and can significantly enhance Ukraine's Su-34 and Su-25 aircraft, according to military experts.

On June 6, 2024, Macron announced in Normandy that France would transfer several Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets to Ukraine and take responsibility for training Ukrainian pilots. France will organize six-month training courses for pilots starting this summer. Additionally, Paris will assist in training a Ukrainian brigade of 4,500 soldiers.

Macron later confirmed that Ukraine could strike Russia with French weapons, as long as it does not target Russian civilians.

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