Mirage-2000 instead of F-16
Frustration in Kiev over Biden: That’s why Macron is stepping in
President Emmanuel Macron's announcement came as a surprise. He promised Ukraine that he would deliver Mirage fighter jets by the end of the year and have the pilots trained in France. This was probably triggered by frustration in Kiev over the delayed delivery of the F-16 jets from the USA - because President Joe Biden continues to procrastinate.
Should the Mirage delivery for Ukraine become a reality, this would be of great significance, Jeffrey Fischer, a retired US Air Force colonel, told krone.at. This would mean that Kiev would stop putting pressure on the USA to "simply procure F-16s", according to the military expert. There have already been several delays to the much-cited F-16 jets. Now Selenskyj has apparently had enough. A few days ago, he publicly criticized the fact that there were far too few training places for Ukrainian pilots.
Other countries preferred for training
This is because the USA gives preference to peacetime nations for training places for F-16 fighter jets, even though Ukraine is at war, explains Fischer, citing decision-makers in the US Air Force. This is "unbelievable", they say behind closed doors. The background to this is probably the hesitation of US President Joe Biden, who continues to fear a Russian escalation if Ukraine is supplied with fighter jets that are less controllable than the missile systems already delivered.
A second fighter jet does carry the risk of requiring more personnel, logistics and training hours. This is much easier with the F-16, the world's best-selling fighter jet. But now Ukraine is fed up with the slow pace of US deliveries, Fischer analyzes.
Mirage to fly this year
According to Macron, training of Ukrainian pilots on the Mirage 2000-5 jets is to begin in France this summer. This will take five to six months. The timetable for aircraft and pilots to be ready for deployment in the Ukraine war by the end of the year could therefore hold.
"Your fighter jets, flown by Ukrainian pilots, will prove that Europe is stronger than the evil that threatens it," Selensky explained to members of the French National Assembly on Friday.
The Ukrainian president could now use Macron's promise as leverage with the USA to accelerate the deployment of F-16 fighter jets. "Let's see if training slots magically become available," says military expert Fischer. At a meeting with Selenskyj in Paris on Friday, Biden already tried to calm the waters. The US President apologized for the months-long halt in arms deliveries caused by the Republican blockade - a problem that has since been resolved.
"Will not abandon Kiev"
Biden assured Zelenskyi that America would "not abandon Kiev". Ukraine was a "bulwark" against Russia's aggression and the USA had an obligation to support Kiev. "I assure you, the United States will stand by your side," he emphasized. "We are fully committed."
It is still unclear how many Mirage jets France wants to deliver. Macron - referring to a coalition of partners that is being built up - did not want to give any details on this. France's military currently has a good 100 Mirage fighter jets in service. These are the oldest fighter jets in the French Air Force, which has around 100 more modern Rafale fighter jets at its disposal.
It is also questionable how the Mirage aircraft will be of use to the Ukrainian defenders. Because the Mirage was designed for air defense, it is not really suitable for targeted strikes on Russian positions, explains French security expert Elie Tenenbaum from the Paris Institute for International Relations (IFRI) to the daily newspaper "Le Monde". However, the delivery shows "France's desire to provide Ukraine with a real air defense capability."
Swedish reconnaissance aircraft as a wild card
It is therefore important that the Ukrainian armed forces receive combat aircraft at all. That is why it is not appropriate to compare the Mirage-2000 with the Russian fighter jets, emphasizes Fischer. Rather, the decisive factor is how they are used. Both the F-16 and the Mirage 2000 would be supported by "Wedgetail" reconnaissance aircraft supplied by Sweden.
"Real-time data from the Russian air force will then probably end up in the cockpits of the Ukrainian fighter aircraft, while the pilots themselves can keep their radar signals secret," explains the military expert, who lives in Austria. Although the Russian air force itself has A-50 aircraft with the same capability, it has not managed to use them effectively: Two of these reconnaissance aircraft have already been shot down in Ukraine.
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