Media: France is modernizing some Mirage 2000-5F fighter jets for Ukraine

France is modernizing some of the Mirage 2000-5F fighter jets destined for Ukraine to enable them to hit ground targets.

The French media SudOuest reported on this.

This modification of the French aircraft was created and used during its service only as a fighter and did not provide for the use of air-to-ground munitions.

However, based on Ukraine’s urgent need to have multifunctional combat aircraft that can fight air targets and hit ground targets, France has decided to modify some of the Mirage 2000-5F fighter jets it has committed to supplying Ukraine as part of its military assistance.

In early June of this year, French President Emmanuel Macron said that Ukraine would receive Mirage 2000-5F fighter jets.

Macron stated that France would organize six-month training courses for Ukrainian pilots to prepare them to fly these fighter jets.

He stressed that aiding Ukraine against Russian aggression “means avoiding the law of the strongest”.

According to plans, the Mirage 2000-5 fighters are expected to be delivered to the Ukrainian Air Force by the end of 2024.

It is not yet clear what weapons the modified aircraft will be able to use to strike ground targets.

The first contender for this role is the French AASM bomb, which Ukrainian pilots flying Soviet-era aircraft have experience using.

It can also be assumed that Ukraine’s Mirage 2000-5F will be adapted to use American precision-guided bombs with JDAM kits, which are also actively used by the Ukrainian Air Force.

Thus, the French fighter jets will be a qualitative addition to the Ukrainian fleet of Soviet-era combat aircraft and Western F-16 fighters. Read more about the French aircraft in the article on Militarnyi.