France will deliver the promised Mirage fighter jets to Ukraine in the first quarter of 2025, French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Tuesday.
Lecornu said the jets are currently being fitted with new equipment, including air-to-ground combat capabilities to carry out airstrikes and electronic defense equipment to counter Russian jamming signals.
He added that training for Ukrainian pilots and mechanics would continue in France.
Lecornu did not specify how many Mirage jets France and other countries plan to send to Ukraine as part of a joint initiative.
French President Emmanuel Macron promised in early June to send the plane to Ukraine, which has been defending itself against Russia’s large-scale invasion since February 2022.
The Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets are primarily designed for air defense and can be used to deploy the French-British Scalp/Storm Shadow cruise missiles, which have already been delivered to Ukraine.
The French Air Force plans to retire the fighter jets by 2030 and replace them with modern Rafale jets. It has 40 Mirage 2000-5s and the aircraft type has already been exported to other countries.
