French Mirage 2000-5 jets arrive in Ukraine, poised to strike deep into Russian defenses. Serhiy Zgurets' column

Mirage 2000-5 in Ukraine

Lecornu noted that the first Mirage has already arrived in Ukraine. On board these aircraft, Ukrainian pilots, who have been trained in France for many months, are now joining the defense of Ukrainian skies. The number of planes received was not specified, but the French press writes that three planes were delivered at the first stage, and three more will be delivered later. There are also reports that the total number may be up to 12 aircraft. France has 26 modernized Mirage 2005s, and 12 of them will significantly strengthen the Ukrainian Air Force.

The Mirage 2000-5 has been modernized, with a new radar that allows it to see enemy targets at a distance of up to 130 km, as well as electronic warfare equipment. These upgrades were made specifically for Ukrainian fighters. The aircraft can perform three main functions.

First, it can carry Scalp and Storm Shadow cruise missiles, its primary role. The Mirage 2000-5 will serve as a support aircraft for deploying these long-range missiles, crucial for striking deep into Russian defenses. Second, it can conduct air defense missions with guided missiles effective against drones. Third, it can use highly accurate Hammer guided bombs.

Also, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said that in addition to the Mirage, Ukraine had received a number of F-16 fighters from the Netherlands.

Frontline situation: Kursk and Kharkiv regions

Deep State, based on the General Staff's report, notes a decrease in the number of Russian attacks over the past seven days. In December, the average daily number of attacks reached 200, in January it dropped to 164, and in February - to 95. The number of Russian hostile attacks is decreasing, although Russian losses remain high. The Russian forces are likely to regroup, and these statistics reflect the current situation on the front line.

Russian social media discusses that in the Kursk region, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have launched a new counteroffensive southeast of Sudzha, near Makhnovka. There are reports that Ukrainian units have reached the village of Cherkaski Konopelky. This is aimed at securing the roads leading from Sudzha to Sumy.

It is likely that the Armed Forces are launching a counterattack using armored vehicles. We hope that the military holding the defense in the Kursk region will soon provide details of this dynamic.

Meanwhile, the Russians are trying to expand their footholds in the Kharkiv region. In the Kupyansk direction, Russian troops are trying to expand their footholds on the right bank of the Oskil River. First of all, this concerns the areas north of Kupyansk, which is an important logistics transportation hub.

Ukraine Russia war live map, January 29 – February 5, Photo: Espreso

The Russian forces have previously tried to attack from the east, but without success. Now they have secured a number of footholds on the west bank of the river and are trying to expand them. Yesterday, Deep State reported that the Russian troops are trying to create another foothold near the village of Topoli, on the right bank of the river, close to the Ukrainian-Russian border.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces will obviously take these risks into account and take appropriate measures to prevent the expansion of these footholds. The Russian aggressor is creating preconditions for future offensives against Kupyansk, which is the task of the first Russian tank army operating in this area.

Technological solutions for Ukraine's Armed Forces from domestic companies

An urgent need for the Ukrainian Armed Forces is to increase the number of armored vehicles required by brigades for various purposes. Protection and mobility are key factors for effective combat operations.

Artem Yushchuk, CEO of INGUAR LLC, spoke about the first Ukrainian vehicle on its own chassis with the Stanag NATO LVL 3 protection class.

“Inguar-3 has enhanced mine and ballistic protection. It is created with a high level of localization, which is currently 61% and is constantly growing. During this period, we have conducted a huge number of tests at training grounds and with representatives of the Ukrainian Defense Forces. In particular, this year we conducted tests in the Serebryanske forestry with the Azov brigade, and recently with border guards in Sumy region. We receive positive feedback from representatives of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, who compare our equipment with what they have in service. They provide us with comments and feedback on improvements, and we immediately incorporate these changes into our design documentation. The machine that is being mass-produced at this stage has already undergone a significant number of improvements and has dozens of changes. When the first serial samples of the Inguar-3 are produced, you will see these changes,” he said.

According to him, it is impossible to use a civilian chassis such as Ford or Dodge for the Stanag LVL 3 protection class, as vehicles with this protection class weigh an average of 13 tons, and the gross vehicle weight is 15 tons. A civilian chassis simply cannot support this weight. In addition, by creating a machine from scratch, it is possible to provide all the necessary functions for the operators of these machines and design it according to their requirements.

INGUAR LLC uses an additional level of armor. The total thickness of the armor on the vehicle is 24 mm. This allows it to withstand a shot from a B-32 sniper rifle from a distance of 10 meters. This corresponds to the sixth class of protection according to the state standard.

The main requirement from the military is to improve the protection against FPV drones, says Yushchuk.

“The Ukrainian Armed Forces want to have a regular electronic warfare system with a built-in console in the vehicle, which is what we are doing now. We are constantly testing different models of electronic warfare equipment. In addition, the military wants so-called barbecues, as electronic warfare equipment is not 100% effective, especially now that fiber-optic drones are being used at the front. As for other changes, these are minimal changes, such as adding mounts for small arms inside, some ergonomic issues, switches and their placement. These are small things that we realized during the first internal tests,” he added.

Today, the company has already received its first orders and is working on obtaining new orders. The team aims to provide samples of the equipment to every unit of the Defense Forces so that they can feel what Inguar-3 is and see all its characteristics and functionality, says Yushchuk.

“We set ourselves the task of producing the first batches of our armored vehicles for use at the front as soon as possible. After the first feedback, we will be able to talk about the next orders with the units that have already ordered the vehicles. This is the right option, because we need to show the quality of our vehicles and confirm it in series, as well as our production capabilities. We are under-utilized, which is a big challenge because the company's capacity is much higher than the number of orders. Each lever, each part, each assembly unit entails preparation for production, which includes costs for slipways, conductors, and development. To survive, we need new orders. This will allow us to localize the product even more, make it faster to assemble and cheaper,” said the CEO.

According to him, they are considering financing with loans. They have already received an advance payment for the first contracts and hope to be able to cover the financial needs for these orders at the expense of other activities.

“We try to establish partnerships with other companies. If we see any shortcomings or suggestions about the design of some cars, we pass this information directly to the factory. We communicate with everyone and try to help wherever possible. Because we repair armored vehicles, we have the opportunity to see which components fail or need to be reinforced or replaced. We can provide feedback directly to the factory, thus improving their products. This is only a plus, because these vehicles are driven by our guys and girls, and our main task is to make combat vehicles safe and reliable. Therefore, if we have the opportunity to give advice somewhere, we do so and will be grateful if we are also given advice about our vehicles,” added Yushchuk.

INGUAR LLC has received offers from foreign companies. However, at this stage, the team is striving to become self-sufficient, to survive the difficult period of production launch and not to attract investments in the company. 

“We want to realize this on our own. Competition is good, but I am sure that the state should prioritize domestic producers and do everything to support them. We face many challenges, including the issue of production facilities. We have received proposals from foreign countries to relocate production to the European Union and provide production facilities, but we hope that our government will take more steps to support manufacturers here. I am confident that we will show results, but we need to back them up with long-term orders and guarantees from the state. Then we will be able to develop and enter the foreign market after the war is over, bringing benefits to our country in the form of taxes,” summarized Yushchuk.