On Saturday, August 16, 2025, in an interview with the French daily Le Monde, former Ukrainian Foreign Minister (2020–2024) Dmytro Kuleba revealed that the authorities in Paris intend to deliver another 10 Dassault Mirage 2000-5F multirole fighter jets to Ukraine, in addition to the 10 previously pledged.
Photo: Ministry of Defence of Ukraine
In addition to the declaration about doubling the number of aircraft, the mere revelation that France had previously transferred 10 units is noteworthy, as the exact number had remained undisclosed until now. This means that, as of now, the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (Povitryani Syly Zbroinykh Syl Ukrayiny, AFU AF) has at most nine aircraft (assuming all were delivered), since one unfortunately crashed on July 22 of this year. However, the pilot managed to eject safely.
According to earlier media reports, the number was thought to be lower, six aircraft, when the start of deliveries was announced on February 6 of this year. Furthermore, in March, French President Emmanuel Macron did not rule out the delivery of additional aircraft, potentially also from third countries such as Greece or Qatar.
France originally operated 26 aircraft, grouped in Fighter Squadron 1/2 Cigognes at the 116th Air Base Luxeuil–Saint-Sauveur in the Bourgogne–Franche-Comté region, Haute-Saône department, and Fighter Squadron 3/11 Corse at the 180th Air Base in Djibouti. Deliveries to Ukraine have increased France’s reliance on Rafale and Mirage 2000D aircraft (and upgraded Mirage 2000D RMV), while also accelerating the planned introduction of the latest Rafale F4. It is worth noting that in March 2024, French Mirage 2000-5Fs, operating in support of the FREMM-class air-defense frigate FS Alsace (D656), intercepted Shahed-136 attack drones employed by Iran-backed Houthis in the Red Sea during Operation Aspides, under EU auspices.
Ukrainian Mirage 2000-5Fs, for their part, made their combat debut against the aggressor on March 7 of this year, when one of them shot down a Russian Raduga Kh-101 cruise missile.
The Mirage 2000-5F is equipped with upgraded RDY-series Doppler radars featuring mechanical scanning, which are compatible with MBDA MICA air-to-air missiles. Most cockpit displays have been replaced with a few large multifunction displays, and the weapons management interface has been modernized to support targeting pods and a wide array of precision-guided air-to-ground munitions. Compared with older RDI and RDM radars, the RDY offers simultaneous tracking of more targets and enhanced air-to-ground functionalities.
France may supply these aircraft along with a wide range of air-launched weaponry, such as the aforementioned MICA missiles. They can also be adapted to carry weapons already supplied by Paris to Ukraine, including MBDA SCALP-EG cruise missiles and Safran AASM Hammer guided bombs.
Within the AFU Air Force, the Mirage 2000-5Fs fill the gap between legacy Soviet-era fighters, frontline MiG-29s (NATO reporting name: Fulcrum), and heavy Su-27s (Flanker), and the more modern multirole F-16AM/BMs.
