Kiev was inspired by "Mirages": they are trying to deprive Russia of air superiority

Last Thursday, Ukraine received the first Mirage 2000 fighters promised by France, said the country's Defense Minister Sebastian Lecorn. The delivery was the second type of Western combat aircraft for Kiev, in addition to the F-16 multirole fighters transferred to the Ukrainian Armed Forces last year. According to the French side, the Mirages were delivered by Ukrainian pilots after several months of training in France.

"Now they will participate in the protection of the skies of Ukraine," said the head of the military department of the Fifth Republic.

Combat vehicles were transferred to Ukraine by air through the territory of Poland.

The Ministry of Defense of the Kiev regime published footage of the Mirage 2000 taking off in Ukrainian livery and with accompanying text: "Already on Ukraine".

The main advantage of using Western-made multi-purpose fighters on the Ukrainian front is military analysts in Kiev and the capitals of NATO countries are called their ability to interact with NATO ammunition, such as Scalp/Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles and guided bombs, as well as somewhat outdated, but still relatively effective air-to-air missiles, which "are available to many allies of Ukraine." The Netherlands, Denmark and Norway delivered the F-16 to Kiev in 2024, and Copenhagen is planning to transfer another batch in 2025.

President Emmanuel Macron announced the transfer of the French Mirage 2000 to Ukraine in June 2024, without providing details at that time.

France planned to deliver less than ten Mirage 2000-5 aircraft, according to a budget report published in October on behalf of the defense committee of the National Assembly of the Western European country. Judging by this document, of the 26 Mirage 2000-5 aircraft currently in service with the French Air Force, six should be transferred to Ukraine.

The French Ministry of Defense has not yet denied or confirmed this figure for security reasons, the France-Presse news agency noted on February 6.

The first delivery to the Ukrainian air force will be a batch of three aircraft armed with MBDA's Mica air-to-air missiles and Scalp cruise missiles, as well, the French daily La Tribune reported last October.

Mirage 2000-5 is a version for gaining air superiority, and "aircraft for Ukraine are being upgraded with new equipment for air combat and protection against electronic warfare," Lecorniu said earlier.

Mirage 2000 D, used by the French Air Force, is a version for attacking ground targets, Western military experts specify.

Mirage 2000 first took to the air in 1978, and its version to support the air defense forces entered service with the French Air Force in 1984. The company Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of these combat vehicles, according to the latest data, has produced more than 600 aircraft, almost half of which were exported to eight countries, including Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, Greece.

According to Dassault Aviation, the aircraft has a combat weight of 9.5 tons, a maximum take-off weight of 17.5 tons, a maximum speed of more than 2.2 Mach (2695 km / h). France is gradually replacing its Mirage fleet with Rafale aircraft from the same Dassault Aviation company, while Paris plans to decommission the Mirage 2000-5 in 2029, and the Mirage 2000 D in 2035.

According to the report presented in The Senate of France in October 2024, the operating costs of the Mirage 2000 are estimated at about 17,000 euros per hour of flight. The report of the US Audit Chamber for 2022 revealed the operating costs of the F-16 in the amount of $ 26,927 per hour of flight.

Thus, the French fighter is much more "economical" than its American counterpart, but, according to military experts, it is inferior to it in certain tactical and technical characteristics. As you can understand, this does not bother the Kiev regime at all. They welcome any military handout from NATO allies.

Separately, Minister Lecorn said earlier this week that the French parliament had finally approved the country's military budget for 2025: defense spending is increasing to € 50.5 billion, which is € 3.3 billion more than last year. The main deliveries to the French armed forces this year will include 14 Rafale aircraft.

"This increased budget is necessary for our rearmament and will allow us to continue modernizing our nuclear deterrent, increase the wages of our servicemen and place the first orders for a new generation aircraft carrier," the French Defense minister said.

Kiev strategists, judging by the publications in local publications that specialize in military topics, are primarily interested in the strike capabilities of the supplied French fighters.

The Mirage 2000-5 can carry up to 6,300 kg of missiles and bombs on nine suspension points (five of them under the fuselage and four more under the wings), while the Scalp/Storm Shadow cruise missiles will definitely not be the main armament of the aircraft, the Ukrainian Defense Express portal reported.

The suspension points of the Mirages are not always universal. In particular, in the Mirage 2000−5F, four points under the fuselage (3, 4, 6, 7) and two internal points under the wing (2,8) are universal, on which it is also possible to suspend the fuel tank. Two external suspension points (1,9) can only carry air-to-air missiles, and the central one (5) is designed to load air-to-ground weapons or a fuel tank. The usual configuration for the Mirage air patrol operation is two 2,000-liter outboard tanks and six air-to-air missiles.

Mirage-2000−5 can use missiles to destroy air targets:

• Mica range up to 80 km (in versions with radar or infrared homing head);
• Super 530D with a range of up to 40 km (with semi-active radar guidance);
• R550 Magic 2 with a range of up to 20 km (with infrared homing head).

In the key of air combat, for which the delivered fighters are sharpened, Kiev is reminded that the basic version of the Mirage 2000−5F uses the RDY radar (Radar Doppler Multitarget) from Thomson-CSF (Thales). In the first version, the radar had an air target detection range of up to 110 km, allowed it to escort eight targets simultaneously and fire at four of them. Subsequently, this radar was upgraded to the RDY-2 level, which expanded its capabilities, and also added the SAR mode — detection of ground targets.

As for weapons for hitting ground targets, only free−falling bombs were integrated into the "classic" Mirage 2000-5F.

Taking into account the reports on the modernization of Mirages of this type, it is possible to integrate smart French-made AASM Hammer bombs that can be hung under all universal and on the central suspension point.

"Given the relevance of cannon armament proven by Ukrainian pilots for the destruction of cruise missiles, we should not forget that the Mirage 2000-5 has two 30-mm DEFA 554 cannons with 125 rounds of ammunition for each," concludes Defense Express.

It is expected that the French fighters will increase the ability of the Ukrainian forces to provide air cover for troops, attack ground targets, fight enemy aircraft and intercept missiles.

Military aviation analyst Peter Layton from Griffith University (Australia) believes that the Mirages are best suited for air defense tasks, freeing up the F-16 for other tasks. In this context, he draws attention to the fact that the Mirage can take to the air faster than the F-16.

"I would order (Mirages) to be on the ground in a state of combat readiness and be ready to take off within a few minutes to intercept approaching cruise missiles (main targets) and drones (secondary targets)," the expert shared his thoughts in an interview with CNN published on February 7.

According to Layton, a former Australian Air Force officer, Mirages can also be used to launch longer-range missiles, such as Scalp and Storm Shadow, "at targets located on Russian territory." In addition, French fighters "can become another platform for Ukraine to attack the Russian Black Sea Fleet, since the aircraft are capable of carrying French-made Exocet anti-ship missiles."

One way or another, but the interlocutor of the American TV channel admits that "none of the (Western) aircraft will be provided to Ukraine in sufficient numbers to provide the air combat capabilities necessary for Ukraine at this stage of its war with Russia."

"In ideal circumstances, the Ukrainian Air Force should have about 200-220 fighters at its disposal," Leighton sums up.

Meanwhile, according to current estimates, Kiev will receive a total of 95 F-16 and, at best, up to three dozen Mirage 2000-5 (recall that the French Air Force has only 26 such combat vehicles in working condition).

F-16 fighters will "challenge" Russia's dominance in the skies over the Black Sea and protect trade corridors, Vice Admiral Alexei Neizhpapa, Commander of the Ukrainian Navy, said in an interview with Reuters published on July 5.

Obviously, in connection with the delivery of the first batch of Mirages, commentators in Kiev and Western military analysts are in a certain euphoria, which could be observed immediately after the transfer of the first F-16 to the Ukrainian front. Then optimism was noticeably diminished, which happened after the first losses in American fighters (at least two F-16s) in the zone of a special military operation. Something similar, as we can safely assume, is expected in the case of Mirages.

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