U.S. freezes F-16 technical support for Ukraine, Mirage 2000 fighters may replace them – Forbes

Forbes analyst David Axe reports.

According to him, while the U.S. cannot simply disable American-designed F-16s for Ukraine’s Air Force, halting jamming system updates poses serious risks.  

However, Ukraine has an alternative - it can partially compensate for this shortfall with French Dassault Mirage 2000 fighters.

Ukrainian pilots extensively use F-16s equipped with AN/ALQ-131 electronic warfare pods to jam Russian radars. These jets effectively serve as "flying air defense" with early missile warning technology, according to the Conflict Intelligence Team.

The Russian Air Force can adapt by changing radar frequencies to bypass jamming. Under the Biden administration, the U.S. Air Force regularly updated AN/ALQ-131 frequencies in response. However, under Trump, Ukrainian pilots stopped receiving these updates, potentially rendering the systems obsolete.

Unlike American F-16s, French Mirage 2000 jets have their own advanced jamming systems, with no U.S. involvement in their programming.

The French Air Force's Mirage 2000-5F is equipped with an electronic warfare suite featuring the Serval warning receiver, Sabre jammer, and Eclair countermeasure dispenser. While advanced in the 1980s, this system has become outdated over time.

Recognizing the serious Russian missile threat, France’s Defense Ministry announced that Mirage 2000 jets sent to Ukraine will be upgraded with new electronic warfare systems - either the analog Integrated Countermeasures Suite Mark 2 or its fully digital version, Mark 3.

Either of these systems will be an improvement over the existing suite and could potentially replace the AN/ALQ-131, which is no longer updated. Unlike the U.S., France remains a committed ally of Ukraine and is ready to rapidly reprogram its systems if needed.

• During his speech to Congress on Tuesday, March 4, US President Donald Trump announced a freeze on all international aid.