France Shouldn’t Give Mirage Fighters to Ukraine
The last thing that Paris should want is for these impressive birds to lose reputation on the export market after being shot down.
Ukraine’s wild hopes of dominating the skies against the Russian Aerospace Forces continue evolving. After the vaunted American F-16s have done next to nothing to change the conditions on the ground, Kyiv is now demanding that Paris expedite their shipment of Mirage 2000-5 warplanes. Last June, the French started training Ukrainian pilots on the Mirage 2000-5 fighter, and vowed to send Ukraine a tranche of the warplanes.
Naturally, the recalcitrant French sidestepped the commitment. By October, the Ukrainians were demanding that France fulfill their pledge of awarding Ukraine’s Air Force with the French warplanes. At this point, French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu pushed the delivery of the Mirage jets to Ukraine to 2025.
A Paltry Force
Before anyone thinks that the French committed a large number of the planes to Ukraine, think again. They promised only six birds. This paltry force, in conjunction with the dozen or so older F-16s the Americans have handed over to the Ukrainians, will do little in the way of achieving the strategic gains Ukraine seeks against the Russians.
At the same time, Russia’s defense-industrial base is operating at a level unseen in decades, and the combined defense industrial bases of the West can barely keep up with peacetime demand, let alone the kind of demands the Ukrainians are making of it today. Against this backdrop, six more planes will lead to nothing but more death and destruction for the Ukrainians.
Indeed, since they will likely get more skilled Ukrainian pilots killed and will result in another lost battle on the ground against the larger Russian forces, the six French warplanes may even expedite Ukraine’s defeat at the hands of the Russians.
The Specs of the Mirage 2000-5
Developed by Dassault Aviation, the French Mirage 2000-5 is a multirole warplane that is an enhanced version of the Mirage 2000 series. A delta-shaped airframe made of aluminum-lithium composites, this bird is highly maneuverable and fast. A single SNECMA M53-P2 turbofan engine powers this plane, giving it a top speed of up to Mach 2.2. These warplanes have an operational ceiling of around 50,000 feet.
It was first delivered to French forces in 1997, featuring two Thales RDY radar systems, thereby allowing the impressive jet to track up to 24 targets and attack up to eight of them at once. The 2000-5 has state-of-the-art digital displays and allows for enhanced situational awareness, increasing the survivability of the warbird.
Further, Dassault built in a Hands-On Throttle-And-Stick (HOTAS) control that ensures the single pilot can handle all the inputs of the complex flight controls and detection systems.
In keeping with its multirole mission set, Mirage 2000-5s are armed with a variety of munitions, such as air-to-air MICA missiles (both radar-guided and infrared variants, alongside the Super 530D). These birds also carry a complement of precision-guided bombs, such as the MBDA BGL 1000, the ubiquitous Exocet air-to-surface missiles, and the SCALP-EG for long-range strikes. Two internal 30mm DEFA 554 cannons round out the armament of this warplane.
The Mirage also comes with an impressive electronic warfare (EW) suite, including the SPECTRA system which allows for radar warning, jamming, and countermeasures like chaff and flares.
The Mirage 2000-5 has export variants that are customized to specific foreign customers. For instance, Taiwan has its own variant that is meant to operate solely in the Indo-Pacific environment, while Qatar’s variant is meant specifically for the desert. It is in high demand, not just from Ukraine. And the last thing that Paris should want is for these impressive birds to lose reputation on the export market because the Ukrainians could not prevent them from being shot down.
France Should Cancel the Deal
Zelenskyy’s regime in Ukraine has overplayed its hand considerably. Rather than admit this fact, Kyiv insists on its European and American allies bailing it out. Half a dozen Mirage 2000-5s will not make any more of a difference than a dozen or so old F-16s or 30-plus NATO-provided Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) have made.
The jig is up, and Zelenskyy’s game is over. Not only should Paris insist he negotiate a settlement to this war with Russia, but it should refuse to send any warplanes to Ukraine to ensure he does.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert, a Senior National Security Editor at The National Interest as well as a Senior Fellow at the Center for the National Interest, and a contributor at Popular Mechanics, consults regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including the Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, the Asia Times, and countless others. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
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