A Mirage-2000 fighter jet of the Ukrainian Air Force shot down a Kh-101 cruise missile during a Russian large-scale missile and drone attack on March 7, 2025.

This was reported on the official website of the Ukrainian Air Force.

According to the photos published by the department, a pair of Mirage-2000 fighters flew to intercept this group of Russian cruise missiles.

The planes reached the target point on a collision course, after which the lead aircraft launched an air-to-air missile at virtually a right angle to the target. However, the missile’s maneuverability was enough to turn almost 90 degrees and hit the target.

This was recorded both from the aircraft that launched the missile and from the aircraft behind it. It is not reported what kind of missiles had been used, but it is likely that they had been French MICA missiles.

The Ukrainian Air Force Command announced that Mirage 2000-5F multi-purpose fighters of the Ukrainian Air Force had taken part in repelling the Russian attack for the first time on the morning of March 7.

The Command noted that those aircraft had arrived in Ukraine only a month prior as part of military assistance from France.

The delivery of the first batch of the fighter jets in the first quarter of 2025 was announced earlier. The journalists of the French newspaper La Tribune reported that the batch would include three aircraft.

Before arriving in Ukraine, the French fighters were modified to be able to use weapons against ground targets.

Mirage 2000-5F: is it a worthy addition to the F-16?

According to the publication, the aircraft, which will be handed over to the Ukrainian Air Force, will be able to use French-British SCALP EG/Storm Shadow cruise missiles and French AASM guided bombs, which Ukrainian pilots already have experience with.

On the night of March 7, 2025, the Russian invaders launched a combined attack with various types of air-, land-, and sea-based missiles against critical infrastructure.

According to preliminary data, the occupiers used 261 air attack aircraft: 67 missiles of various types and 194 attack UAVs and simulator drones of various types.