French Mirage Fighters Cannot Change the Course of the Ukraine Conflict

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is holding out hope that French Mirage fighters can change the course of the Ukraine conflict, Business Insider reports.

According to aviation experts interviewed by journalists, the Mirage 2000 fighters are unsuitable for combat operations in Ukraine. “Their effectiveness is mostly limited to air-to-air missiles,” says Justin Bronk, an expert from the Royal United Services Institute in the UK.

He stated that the French Mirage jets, like their American F-16 counterparts, will struggle against Russian air defense systems due to the short range of the missiles they are expected to provide for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The powerful Russian missile systems will force Ukrainian pilots to fly relatively low, which will limit the effectiveness of the fighters, added Bronk.

It is worth noting that earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that Paris would transfer Mirage 2000-5 fighters to Kyiv and organize training for Ukrainian pilots.

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Moscow regards Macron's announcement as a provocation.