France to transfer Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets to Ukraine, Macron announces
France will transfer an unspecified number of Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets to Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron announced on June 6.
Speaking to French TV after the end of the 80th anniversary of D-Day commemorations in Normandy, Macron also said his country would train Ukrainian pilots.
"Tomorrow we will launch a new cooperation and announce the transfer of Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets to Ukraine made by French manufacturer Dassault and train their Ukrainian pilots in France," he said during a live interview.
Macron did not specify how many planes Ukraine would receive or provide a timeline.
The Mirage 2000 is a multirole aircraft designed in the late 1970s, and introduced in 1984. It can carry a range of air-to-surface and air-to-air missiles and weapons, including laser-guided bombs.
The 2000-5 version has upgraded radar systems and can carry fuel drop tanks, greatly increasing its range.
It is a fourth generation fighter jet meaning it is in the same class as the U.S.-made F-16.
The Netherlands plans to start delivering its F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine this autumn after Denmark begins transferring its aircraft already in the summer, Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said during a press briefing in Vilnius, Delfi reported on May 6.
Previously, the Netherlands has pledged to deliver 24 of its fourth-generation U.S.-made jets to Ukraine as Kyiv seeks to bolster its Air Force.
The Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, and Belgium have pledged to supply Ukraine with dozens of F-16 jets.
Denmark, the Netherlands, and the U.S. have led an international coalition established last year to provide Kyiv with F-16 fighter jets and train Ukrainian pilots.
Chris York
