Mirage 2000 fighter jets to bolster Ukrainian forces by year-end

French media reported that the first Mirage 2000 fighter jets would soon arrive in Ukraine. These aircraft should substantially boost the defenders' army, especially since they will be Mirage 2000-5F variants modified explicitly for the ongoing war.

According to the French daily "Sud Ouest," Ukraine will receive the first Mirage 2000-5F jets (the exact number is unknown) before this year's end. In June, the French President, Emmanuel Macron, confirmed that such aircraft were being prepared for the Ukrainian army. They will complement other Western fighter jets used by Ukrainians, namely the F-16s, whose deliveries began in August.

The Mirage 2000 is a single-engine multi-role fighter with a delta wing. It measures over 15 metres in length and about 9 metres in wingspan. Dassault Aviation produced it from 1978 to 2007. The Mirage 2000-5F was one of the major modernisations conducted in 1991. It features a modernised cockpit and better weapon systems and is adapted for a wide range of air-to-air weaponry.

These last modifications, which the French will carry out (at the Cazaux base) for the Ukrainian army, are also expected to adapt the Mirage 2000-5F to air-to-ground weapons. This will make them more effective in the conditions of the war with Russia, more efficiently destroying invader positions and providing thoughtful support to the F-16 fighters.

The Ukrainian portal Defence Express notes that such changes should not be very complicated to implement since some other variants of the Mirage 2000 have previously been adapted to weapons, allowing them to strike ground targets.

There is no confirmed information on what kind of weaponry the Mirage 2000-5F prepared for Ukraine might be adapted for. Unofficially, Ukrainian media suggest it could be, for example, AASM bombs, which Ukrainians have been using effectively, and even SCALP-EG cruise missiles. The latter are characterised by a length of over 5 metres and a weight of roughly 1,300 kilograms, of which about 450 kilograms make up the BROACH (Bomb Royal Ordnance Augmented Charge) warhead.