This month, the Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are expected to receive the first three Mirage 2000-5F aircraft - at least, this is what one of the Western publications reported recently. These aircraft are set to become the second type of Western fighters in the arsenal of Ukraine's Defense Forces; however, as of today, there has been no official information released regarding the delivery or the acceptance of these aircraft by our structures.
The news about the transfer of Mirage 2000-5F was shared by the portal Avions Legendaires - although they merely speculate that "the first three units are likely to be delivered by January 20, 2025." Additionally, there are assumptions from "some sources" that these aircraft may already be in Ukraine, where they are currently conducting purely training flights.
First and foremost, it is worth noting that the official announcement regarding the transfer of Mirage 2000-5F to Ukraine's Defense Forces came in June 2024, when it was indicated that our military could receive the aircraft by the end of this year. Meanwhile, in October, the head of the French Ministry of Defense, Sébastien Lecornu, stated that the Mirage aircraft for Ukraine, at least the first batch, would be delivered in the first quarter of this year, meaning that the delivery could stretch until the end of March.
Simultaneously, in November, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned in one of his posts that he had discussed the acceleration of the transfer of Mirage aircraft with his colleague Emmanuel Macron. In any case, if the planes do arrive in two weeks, we are talking about a rather tight timeline for delivery from the moment of the official announcement - just over seven months.
An important detail regarding the French Mirage, which the publication reminds us of, is that these aircraft have undergone modernization by the French defense procurement agency DGA (Direction Générale de L'armement). They also add that the Mirage 2000-5F that Ukraine is set to receive or has already received has the capability to utilize Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG cruise missiles.
It should be noted that back in September, it was reported that the Mirage aircraft being transferred to Ukraine would undergo modernization to enable striking ground targets; however, there are no details regarding the specific armaments mentioned.
The question of how many aircraft Ukraine may receive is also debatable, as various figures have been reported throughout the second half of last year, ranging from 3 to 6 aircraft, while overall, it is estimated that France could deliver around 10 aircraft.