Ukrainian general names timeline for delivery of French Mirage aircraft

He shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

“The French have been giving examples of decisive approaches to air assistance. In June, President Macron said they would help. A few days later, pilot training began. This is different from the U.S. policy, where a thousand pilots are trained in a year, but they could not find a place for our 12 pilots and put us on a waiting list,” Romanenko said.

According to the founder of the Safe Skies over Ukraine Charitable Foundation, the French had initially stated that Mirage aircraft would be delivered to Ukraine by the end of this year. However, the process has since taken "the American way," meaning delays. As a result, it is now expected that the aircraft will arrive in the first quarter of next year.

“The explanation is that the aircraft need to be improved and re-equipped, but they need to keep their word. If this continues, it may indeed be delayed until mid-spring, following the same pattern as the year-long delay in the delivery of F-16s. Ukraine must fight for any assistance, change the approach, and ensure that next year we receive 20 Mirage aircraft, not just 12. This is crucial, as Russia has around 1,500 aircraft, with about 300 actively flying over Ukraine's territory,” Romanenko emphasized.

• On October 8, Sébastien Lecornu said that in the first half of 2025, Ukraine would receive Mirage 2000 fighter jets equipped with new equipment.
• Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov says that in early 2025 Ukraine will receive Mirage 2000 fighter jets from France, which will be equipped to have air superiority over Russia.