France is considering increasing its air support for Ukraine by providing it with more Mirage 2000 fighters, to enhance its ability to object and protect its front lines from guided missiles and Russian aircraft, with qualified pilots and multiple options for providing aircraft.
The Arab Defense website – August 25, 2025: According to recent reports, it appears that France is studying the possibility of increasing its air support for Ukraine, by providing it with a greater number of combat aircraft. This was confirmed by Coleb, former Ukrainian Foreign Minister, in an interview with the newspaper Le Monde, noting that Paris had previously promised to hand over 10 Mirage 2000 aircraft, but there are expectations of an additional announcement close to raising this number to 20 aircraft. Previously, it was believed that Ukraine would only receive six aircraft, making this development a great enhancement of its weather capabilities. But the question that arises now is the source of these aircraft, especially since the proposed support is large. For Ukrainians, each plane represents a high strategic value, as it allows increased ability to intercept missiles and drones. According to the available information, each plane can intercede between 2 and 3 missiles or drones daily, which means that increasing the number of aircraft by ten will provide the ability to intercept 20 to 30 additional threats per day, with the consequent protection of lives and infrastructure.
The Ukrainian army has about 60 to 70 fighter planes of Soviet origin, some of which are within its own fleet and some of them were provided with countries such as Poland and Bulgaria. Besides, there are between 25 and 28 newly transported F-16 aircraft, and modern French Mirage 2000 aircraft will be added to them. These modern western aircraft are characterized by their ability to control the atmosphere, objection over long distances, and protect the front lines from Russian aircraft that use guided bombs.
With the arrival of ten additional aircraft, the operational capacity of the Western Ukrainian aircraft will increase by about 30 %, which enhances the ability to control different fronts, instead of being satisfied with a limited number of aircraft capable of deployment for a wide distance along the front lines.
On the part of human availability, there is an appropriate ability to drive these aircraft, as the Ukrainians have begun two years ago to train civilian pilots from national airlines to become eligible to drive modern fighters. Thus, the number of qualified pilots already exceeds the number of aircraft expected to be delivered. As for the French side, there are several options for providing the required aircraft. One of them is the use of Mirage 2000C aircraft that were taken out of service more than two years ago, after re -updating the airline systems. The second option is based on agreements with countries such as Greece, which bought modern Rafale fighters, to replace its old Mirage planes and hand them over to Ukraine after updating. The third option is to use aircraft from the current French fleet, taking into account the increase in production of Rafale aircraft to reach five aircraft per month.
The addition of French aircraft to the Ukrainian Air Force is a major strategic step, not only to defend the Ukrainian atmosphere of the missiles, but rather extend to protect the front lines and effective intervention against guided bombs. Although there is no official announcement yet, this step shows the importance of strengthening French military assistance to the Ukrainians independently of American support, while highlighting the French role in the conflict clearly.
French “Mirage” aircraft cost 17 thousand euros per flight watch
Mirage planes are one of the most prominent multi -task fighters in the world, and it is the fruit of the efforts of the French company “Daso Airlines”. This series began in the late 1950s, and since then has seen the development of several models for decades, to become a symbol of French air superiority.
The idea of developing “Mirage” aircraft was launched in the late 1950s, when the French Air Force sought to replace old aircraft such as “De Haveland” and “Metior”. The “Mirage 3” model was the beginning, as it was first shocked in 1956 and entered service in 1961. This model was distinguished by its high capabilities to maneuver and its super speed, which made it one of the fastest fighters of its time.
The success of “Mirage 3” prompted the company “Daso” to develop several subsequent models, most notably “Mirage 2000”, which was raised for the first time in 1978 and entered service in the French Air Force in 1984. Over the years, Daso produced about 1400 aircraft of 80 different styles, used in 21 countries around the world, and participated in several conflicts such as the 1967 war and the 1973 war.
These fighters have a great ability to carry a wide variety of weapons, including air-to-air missiles, smart bombs, and guided missiles, along with advanced radars and sophisticated systems that enhance the accuracy of targets on targets.
Mirage fighters specifications
- Length: 14.36 meters
- Height: 5.2 meters
- The extension of the wings: 9.13 meters
- Maximum speed: 2.2 Mach (about 2336 km/h)
- The maximum height: 17 thousand meters
- Engine: Senka M53-B2
On February 6, 2025, France announced the delivery of its first “Mirage 2000-5” aircraft to Ukraine to enhance its air defense capabilities against Russia. The French Defense Minister, Sebastian Lucurno, confirmed that Ukraine has already received the first fighters, making this plane a qualitative addition to the Western fighters previously obtained by Ukraine, such as “F-16” in 2024.
For his part, Ukrainian President Folodimir Zellinski expressed his gratitude to France, and said in a post on the “X” platform: “The first Mirage 2000-5 aircraft from France arrived, which is an addition to our air defensive capabilities.” He added: “I thank French President Emmanuel Macron for his leadership and support, and this is a new step to enhance Ukraine’s security.”
Mirage Fighters 2000-5
This version is developed by “Mirage 2000”, equipped with modern radars and a variety of armament capacity that include long-range air-to-air missiles and air-to-surface missiles, with the possibility of carrying additional fuel tanks.
These fighters have the ability to hit ground targets, missile interceptions, fire aircraft, and firing anti -ship missiles.
The service of the French Air Force entered in 1999 at the Dijon Air Force Base, and it produced “Daso Aviation” about 600 aircraft, half of which was issued to several countries around the world.
The French Senate report revealed that the cost of operating the “Mirage 2000-5” plane reaches about 17 thousand euros per flying hour, which reflects the nature of high maintenance and advanced equipment owned by these fighters.
The article appeared, will France provide Ukraine with 20 Mirage 2000-5 aircraft? First on the Arab defense site.
