Yuriy Kobzar21:50, 06.06.24

Also, France will train Ukrainian pilots who will fly these fighters.

Macron announced the transfer of French-made combat aircraft to the Armed Forces / UNIAN collage, photo pixabay.com, president.gov.ua

France will transfer  Mirage 2000 fighters to Ukraine . This was announced by the country’s president, Emmanuel Macron, quoted by France24 .

According to him, France will also undertake the training of Ukrainian pilots for these planes. Training will take place in France.

“Tomorrow we will start a new cooperation program and announce the delivery of the Mirage 2000-5 series – French combat aircraft that will allow Ukraine to defend its land and airspace. From tomorrow we will start a pilot training program and will hand over these aircraft by the end of the year,” he said Macron.

He did not specify exactly how many planes will be transferred. The program to train Ukrainian pilots for these planes will start this summer.

“We need 5 to 6 months to train them in France so that they are ready by the end of the year,” Macron emphasized.

In addition, the French president announced his intention to form a “French brigade” of Ukrainian soldiers: France will take over the training and provision of uniforms for 4,500 Ukrainian recruits.

“Helping [Ukraine] to resist means defending its values, our law, the sovereignty of Ukrainians and their territorial integrity. Today we have a people who faced a state that I do not compare with Nazi Germany, because it does not have the same ideology, but which is imperialist, which has essentially flouted international law and said: “I’m going to invade you,” Macron said.

He also emphasized that peace in Ukraine should be achieved through negotiations, but “this moment has not yet come, because Russia continues to advance.”

“This moment can come only if Ukraine resists,” the French president said.

What is known about Mirage 2000 fighters

The Mirage 2000 is a fourth-generation French multipurpose fighter jet developed in the 1970s by Dassault. In service since 1984. It was the main combat aircraft of the French Air Force at the end of the 20th – the beginning of the 21st century. It is also in service with several countries in Asia, Europe and Latin America.

(C)UNIAN 2024

Production of the Mirage 2000 was discontinued in 2007, with the last new aircraft being delivered to Greece. The French Air Force is currently replacing the Mirage 2000 with the next-generation Dassault Rafale.

The Mirage 2000-5 that Macron was talking about is a modernized export version.