Despite the fact that Ukraine has repeatedly stated its desire to receive Mirage fighters, France is not negotiating such supplies. This was stated by French President Emmanuel Macron at the end of the conference on support for Ukraine, held in Paris at the end of February. Whether Kiev will receive another Western "gift" and what it would change during the special operation — TASS figured out
A day before Macron's final statement, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said that the Ukrainian side was discussing the possible supply of Mirage 2000 fighter jets. In the spring of 2023, the newspaper Figaro claimed that 30 Ukrainian pilots were already retraining for fighters of this type, and in September, the French Intelligence Online portal said that Kiev and Paris were close to concluding an agreement on the transfer of Mirages to Ukraine.
The NATO soldier
The fighter that Ukraine wanted to receive was developed by the French company Dassault Aviation, made its first flight in 1978, and in 1984 it was adopted by the French Air Force as an interceptor. According to the manufacturer, the maximum take—off weight of the aircraft is 17.4 tons, the SNECMA M53-P2 engine accelerates the aircraft to more than two speeds of sound.
The aircraft has ten external weapon suspension points, which can accommodate guided missiles and aerial bombs. For close combat, the Mirage is equipped with two 30 mm automatic guns. Forbes reports that Ukraine can count on the Mirages-2000 in variant D — now they are being withdrawn from the Air Force and replaced by modern Rafales. The technical characteristics of the two-seat Mirage 2000D allow it to launch modern cruise missiles SCALP-EG and Storm Shadow, which Western partners are already transferring to Kiev.
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| A mock-up of the Spice 250 guided gliding bomb next to a model of the Mirage 2000 fighter-bomber at Aero India 2015. |
| Source: janes.com |
The aircraft was exported to Brazil, Greece, Egypt, India, Qatar, the UAE and Peru. Now there are more than 500 machines of this type in operation in the world. It is unknown how many of them were lost in combat conditions or disasters. According to open sources, Mirages took part in the NATO bombing of Bosnian Serbs in 1995, while one aircraft was lost. The destroyed Mirage-2000D was shot down by a heat-guided missile of the Igla portable complex, both pilots were captured. The aircraft participated in combat operations in Afghanistan 2001-2021.
Illusory hopes
As in the case of the American F-16 fighter, experts and officials, including Ukrainian ones, express doubts that the "Mirages" in Ukraine will have a noticeable impact on the course of a special military operation and will generally stay in the country for a long time if they are supplied to Kiev.
The representative of the Ukrainian Air Force, Yuri Ignat, stated that Ukraine needs more modern machines. "The Mirage 2000 is an outdated model. There are much better planes in France and Europe, so we are considering these planes," he said. Earlier, Ignat spoke about getting the F-16 as a priority, noting that the Air Force will not be able to service foreign aircraft of various types, train pilots for different fighters.
In addition, the Mirage has a triangular wing and was created according to the "tailless" scheme — it has a keel, but there is no stabilizer. Such an infrequently used design has piloting features, which can add additional difficulties to the process of retraining pilots.
The technical characteristics will not allow the Mirage and F-16 to participate on equal terms with Russian fighters in air combat. "Now it's the turn of the Mirages. As a platform, yes, it is capable of performing tasks, it has nine suspension points," Andrei Kartapolov, head of the State Duma Committee on Defense, commented on the possible supply of Western fighters to Ukraine on the Rossiya 24 TV channel. — As an opponent for our modern fighters in air combat — absolutely no chance for the Mirage. I am absolutely telling you responsibly. The F-16, too, by the way, with about the same result."
According to analysts, every sample of Western military equipment destroyed in Ukraine causes reputational losses for its manufacturer, so foreign countries are discussing not so much the supply of the latest fighters as the transfer of aging machines being decommissioned.
In the meantime, instead of transferring fighter jets to Kiev, France has focused on supplying missile and bomb weapons. At the end of February, French President Emmanuel Macron, summing up the results of the conference on support for Ukraine held in Paris, announced the creation of a coalition to supply long-range weapons to Kiev.
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| Guided aerial bombs AASM, or HAMMER on the Rafale fighter of the French Air Force. |
| Source: invoen.ru |
Earlier, the Minister of the Armed Forces of the Republic, Sebastien Lecorny, announced France's intention to supply Kiev with 50 AASM HAMMER aviation bombs adapted for Soviet-style aircraft. The ammunition is the result of retrofitting unguided bombs with modules 276, 500 and 1,000 kg, increasing their characteristics. The modules turn bombs into high-precision planning munitions with guidance at specified target coordinates or laser illumination.