March 7th will not be remembered as just another date for the Ukrainian Air Force, as it marked the official combat debut of the Mirage 2000-5F fighter jets transferred by France to Ukraine, just one month after confirming their arrival in the country. The deployment of the French-origin deltas took place during a new attack by the Russian Armed Forces, which used a massive launch of cruise missiles and drones. In this scenario, the fighter-bombers worked alongside the F-16s on air cover and interception missions.
At the beginning of February, through official statements from France’s Minister of Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, the arrival of the first Mirage 2000-5F fighters committed by Paris to Kyiv was confirmed. While no further details were provided, this first batch, consisting of three aircraft, marked the official transfer process of an undisclosed number.
However, since the announcement on February 6th, few updates were reported regarding their employment and operational deployment. It is known, through official statements from French officials, that the Mirage 2000-5F jets underwent upgrades before being delivered to the Ukrainian Air Force.
Among the improvements that these Ukrainian deltas may have received, it is inferred that there were upgrades to their electronic warfare and countermeasure systems, given the challenging operational environment in which they are already being deployed. Furthermore, improvements to their air-to-ground combat capabilities were mentioned, taking advantage of the RDY Doppler pulse radar with look-down/shoot-down capability, which equips this version of the Mirage 2000.
Returning to the events of March 7th, the official channels of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces reported a new Russian attack using a massive launch of drones and cruise missiles targeting critical infrastructure. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, the Russian attack consisted of 67 missiles of various types and 194 UAVs, including attack drones and decoy drones, among which were Kh-101/Kh-55SM cruise missiles, Kalibr missiles, and loitering munitions.
In response, Ukraine’s Military Instrument was activated through the deployment of “… air defense missile units, electronic warfare systems, and mobile fire groups from the Air Force and Defense Forces of Ukraine.”
The official statement also confirmed that among the deployed units were the F-16s and Mirage 2000s, marking the operational debut of the fighter jets transferred by France. Additionally, thanks to a series of photographs released by the Ukrainian Air Force, it was confirmed that one of the deltas intercepted a Kh-101 cruise missile during the day. Although no further details were provided, the fighter was seen launching an air-to-air missile, presumably an MBDA MICA, against the target.
Lastly, as with the F-16 fighters integrated since August, it is likely that the Ukrainian Mirage 2000-5F jets will initially be used for air cover missions as their integration process continues. Following the example of the Fighting Falcons, which have reportedly started being used in recent ground-attack operations with GBU-39 glide bombs, it can be inferred that it may take several weeks or months before the Mirage 2000s are used in this role.
As noted, among the upgrades made by France would be improvements to their air-to-ground combat capabilities, through the use of various armaments that Paris has already transferred to Kyiv and that are currently in use with Russian/Soviet-origin aircraft. Evidence of this includes the use of SCALP-EG cruise missiles by Su-24 attack aircraft and AASM Hammer guided bombs seen on Su-25 and Su-27 jets—armament that is expected to be used by the Ukrainian Mirage 2000s soon.
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