All French Mirage 2000 fighters to be decommissioned by 2030 - Defence Express

Oleh Katkov, Editor-in-Chief of Defence Express, said this on the Espreso TV channel.

"The training of technicians and pilots will take six months, which directly hints that this is most likely a decision that has already been officially announced, and not just beginning to be implemented, all things considered. The information that Ukrainian pilots are being trained directly in France has been circulating for quite some time. It has been confirmed by the Air Force Command, although it has nothing to do with training on Mirage or any other aircraft. In any case, the reference date is the end of 2024, when the aircraft are to be handed over to Ukraine.

Regarding the number of aircraft, it is important to recall the words of the French Minister of Defence, who said in late March that all the weapons that the country would decommission, would be transferred to Ukraine. The fact is that France is decommissioning Mirage 2005 and all Mirage 2000s. There is no exact date on the sides, but the general deadline is that all Mirage 2000s will be written off by 2030," he said.

France has both Mirage 2005 and Mirage-2000D. The latter will be the versions that have not yet been announced for Ukraine, says Katkov.

"The Mirage 2005 - 27 single-seaters, 7 double-seaters in the Mirage 2000 B version - is at the disposal of two French squadrons. They will gradually switch to the newer Rafale in a fairly short period of time,” he added.

• On June 6, French President Emmanuel Macron said that France plans to announce the delivery of Mirage 2000 military aircraft to Ukraine.