One of the main topics of the upcoming visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to Kiev may be the replacement of Soviet MiGs, which are in service with Ukraine, with Dassault Rafale fighters. Negotiations on the sale of military equipment may take place in the first half of this year.
This is written by bmpd with reference to the publication Intelligence Online. At first, we can talk about the supply of 6-12 French fighters, which fits into the plan for the development of the Air Forces of Ukraine until 2035, which was approved by the Ministry of Defense. Deliveries of aircraft, according to this document, should begin in 2023-2035. First, Kiev will study equipment and train personnel.
According to the French publication, Paris has a commercial system capable of supporting this contract, so the chances of Rafale winning are quite real. The French authorities are ready to allocate state guarantees for a loan in the amount of 85 percent of the total amount of the contract, for which the Ministry of Finance has reserved about 1.5 billion euros.
By 2030, according to the long-term development plan of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, regular deliveries of new fighters, up to 36 aircraft in total, should be established. At the same time, the armed forces will withdraw obsolete equipment from combat service. By this time, at least two aviation brigades of the Ukrainian tactical aviation should be completely re-equipped with new aircraft.
As alternatives to the French, representatives of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine previously called the American F-15 EX, F-16V and Swedish Saab JAS-39E/F Gripen NG. Not so long ago, the commander of the Armed Forces, Sergei Drozdov, also announced plans for Nezalezhnaya to acquire, sooner or later, fifth-generation F-35 fighters. However, the indicated desires of the state so far go beyond the current funding.
Maya Biryukova
