The French Foreign Minister announced the transfer of Mirage 2000 aircraft to Ukraine in Kyiv

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot arrived in Ukraine and announced the transfer of Mirage 2000 fighter jets. According to him, the Ukrainian Air Force will receive the first batch of combat aircraft next year.

The minister also added that France will take over the training of pilots for these aircraft. Jean-Noel Barrot made the statement during a press conference after a meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.

The head of the diplomatic agency emphasized that the first Mirage 2000 aircraft will be provided to Ukraine in early 2025. The minister did not specify how many fighters the Ukrainian army will receive.

However, he added that France has become the first country to train an entire Ukrainian brigade. The Foreign Minister noted that Paris is also making efforts to help repair equipment and machinery in Ukraine.

"The first Mirage 2000 aircraft will be provided to Ukraine early next year. France will also train pilots for these aircraft," the French Foreign Minister said.

The Mirage 2000-5 modification promised to Ukraine was updated in the late 90s. It has improved radar to track targets and intercept supersonic targets at high altitudes.

Later, the Mirage 2000-5 was equipped with ground strike capability, allowing it to drop bombs and use air-to-ground missiles such as Storm Shadow and SCALP.

In general, the Mirage 2000-5 is equipped with the following missiles:

– MICA air-to-air missile with a range of up to 80 km and an infrared or radar-homing head;

– Exocet anti-ship missile with a range of up to 50-70 km, depending on the altitude;

– SCALP air-to-ground missile with a range of up to 500 km without export restrictions;

– anti-radar AS37 Armat with a range of up to 120 km.

The fighter's radar station can detect targets at a distance of up to 130 km. It can simultaneously track up to 8 targets and fire on 4 of them. The radar for the Mirage 2000-5 is manufactured by Thales.

As a reminder, French Defense Minister Sebastian Lecorneuil confirmed that the Ukrainian Air Force may receive a batch of French Mirage 2000 fighters next year.

Earlier, President Emmanuel Macron said that France would provide Ukraine with Mirage 2000-5 multi-role fighter aircraft. The partner country will also train Ukrainian pilots, and the training program is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov recently said that our country already has agreements on the future transfer of Migare 2000, and negotiations on Gripen and Eurofighter are underway.

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