With the Mirage fighter jets set to reach service by early 2025, despite prior delays, France is making efforts to accelerate the handover of the planes to Ukraine.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned in his evening speech on November 29 a conversation he had with French President Emmanuel Macron on enhancing Ukraine’s air defense as well as “comprehensive defense support and accelerating the process of transferring Mirage aircraft,” Defense Express reported.
This comment could merely serve as a reminder of the aircraft’s transfer to Kyiv. It also underlines how rapidly work on the Mirage sale to Ukraine is in progress and that another kind of fighter jet could shortly be in use with the Ukrainian Air Force.
At least this allows one to review the chronology of official statements and media coverage on these aircraft over the past few months.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced on June 6 that France would transfer Mirage 2000-5 aircraft to Ukraine within six months, targeting December 2024 due to training needs. But in mid-July, French Ambassador Gaël Veyssière proposed a more modest schedule—just a few months.
Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu provided a more realistic estimate in October, saying the aircraft are expected in the first quarter of 2025, with delivery maybe stretching to the end of March due to preparatory requirements.
“While initial media reports mentioned only three Mirage 2000-5 aircraft for Ukraine’s Air Force, by November information emerged that this number would at least double to six aircraft,” Defense Express pointed out.
According to Defense Express’s analysts, a quicker Mirage jet deployment to Ukraine will probably take one to one and a half months. Under best estimates, the aircraft might be operational with the Ukrainian Air Force between January and February. But as experience shows, these schedules might move.
Ukraine has already received from Western allies a limited number of F-16 fighters, but the country needs modern Western fighter jets to repel Russian massive missile attacks.
Russian troops launch several dozen missiles at Ukrainian cities simultaneously, overwhelming Ukraine’s air defense systems and causing some of the missiles to hit targets. Often, these targets are energy facilities and residential buildings.
The later Ukraine receives the promised fighters, the more damage Russian troops can inflict. The need is especially urgent in winter, as Russian troops try to destroy Ukraine’s energy system, leaving people without heat and electricity in freezing temperatures.
