As you know, France will soon hand over its Mirage 2000 fighters to the Defense Forces of Ukraine. Tim Robinson, a specialist in military aviation from the Royal Aeronautical Society of Great Britain, emphasized that they have a very useful feature.
Points of attention
- Mirage fighters can launch Storm Shadow western missiles.
- It is beneficial for Ukraine to get additional aircraft with the ability to launch these missiles to increase its combat capabilities.
- The first batch of Mirage for Ukraine may be delivered in January-April 2025.
Mirages have a specific advantage over the F-16
According to Robinson, the French fighters in Ukraine will become another combat platform capable of launching the Western Storm Shadow missiles.
As you know, with the help of the latter, Ukrainian soldiers managed to destroy many enemy targets on the front and beyond.
What is important to understand is that American F-16 fighters, some of which have already been received by the Armed Forces, are not adapted to Storm Shadow missiles, so they are launched using Soviet-designed Su-24 aircraft.
Tim Robinson, a military aviation specialist from the Royal Aeronautical Society of Great Britain, told the publication that it is beneficial for Ukraine to get more aircraft capable of launching these missiles.
When Ukraine can get the first Mirage
According to the editorial office of La Tribune, within the first batch, France plans to provide Kyiv with 3 aircraft.
As the journalists managed to find out, their provision will be made "in the first trimester" of 2025 (January-April).
It is by that time that they plan to complete the training of the machines and the training of pilots and mechanics. The planes will be armed with SCALP/Storm Shadow cruise missiles and French AASM air-to-ground guided bombs, the report said.
It is worth noting that the French Ministry of Defense has not yet officially confirmed or denied these journalists' data.
