French Minister of the Armed Forces announces the delivery of the first Mirage 2000 aircraft to Ukraine
French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced Thursday that his country has delivered the first Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets to Ukraine to help it defend its airspace against Russia.
“Today, after several months devoted to training Ukrainian pilots in France, the first planes have arrived in Ukraine,” Lecornu wrote on X, without specifying their number.
“It will now participate in the defense of Ukraine’s airspace,” he added.
Six of the French Air Force’s 26 Mirage fighters are due to be transferred to Ukraine, according to a French budget report to the National Assembly published in the fall, a number neither denied nor confirmed by the Ministry of the Armed Forces, which says it won’t make it public for security reasons.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced that these fighter jets will be sent in June 2024.
Since then, Ukrainian pilots and technicians have been training in France on the modified aircraft.
Lecornu explained in October that it now includes air-to-ground combat equipment to carry out air strikes and electronic warfare defense to counter Russian jamming.
