Feb. 6 (UPI) — France said Thursday it has sent the first of the promised Mirage jet fighters to Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced in June 2024 that Ukraine would get the jets and French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu in a statement on X that “the first of them arrived in Ukraine today.”
“With Ukrainian pilots on board who had been trained for several months in France, they will now participate in defending the skies of Ukraine,” Lecornu said.
The total number of French Mirages pledged to Ukraine or already there has not been revealed. The Mirage is a fourth-geenration multi-role supersonic jet.
Ukraine Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said Thursday that the first Dutch F-16 fighters had also arrived in Ukraine.
“These modern combat vehicles are already in Ukraine and will soon begin performing combat missions, strengthening our defense and ability to effectively resist Russian aggression,” Umerov said in a social media post.
The Mirage 2000-5, introduced in 1999, is an upgraded version of the fighter first made in the 1970s by the Dassault company.
The fighter has enhanced air-to-air and ground mission firing capabilities, advanced avionics and a modern control system.
It is capable of firing the Scalp cruise missile, which France has also supplied to Ukraine. It can also carry Exocet anti-ship missiles and long-range bombs.
Both the French Mirage and Dutch F-16s can also be used for air defense against Russian aggression in Ukraine.
