Strana 29
The Mirage 2000-5F features new cockpit
displays, powerful radars, and the ability to
carry MICA air-to-air missiles with a range
of 60-80 km, making them excellent fighters.
As previously mentioned, President Macron
announced their delivery in June 2024. While
Ukrainian pilots were in training, the French
modified these aircraft to carry a wide range
of air-to-ground weapons, including Storm
Shadow/SCALP
-
EG cruise missiles, which
Ukraine has already used successfully.
Previously, only Ukraine’s aging Soviet-era
Su-24 strike aircraft could carry these missiles,
but their numbers were dwindling due to
a lack of spare parts. The Mirage 2000s will be
a significant reinforcement. Additionally, they
can carry ASM-250 HAMMER guided bombs,
which Ukraine has also used effectively—each
Mirage can carry up to eight of these bombs.
For now, Ukraine is expected to use the
Mirage 2000 similarly to the F-16s—initially
deploying them against incoming Russian
cruise missile attacks. As pilots gain more
experience, they will also engage in ground
attack missions at the front and other combat
operations. A similar transition is happening
with the F-16s, which initially only countered
Russian nighttime air raids but in February
2025, they were spotted carrying guided bombs.
Speaking of the F-16, on Thursday, February
6, the same day French Defense Minister
Sébastien Lecornu confirmed the delivery of
Mirage 2000-5Fs, Ukrainian Defense Minister
Rustem Umerov announced that another batch
of F-16s had arrived from the Netherlands. With
previous deliveries from Denmark, Ukraine now
has over 20 F-16s in active service. Additional
F-16s had been sent earlier to Romania, where
Ukrainian pilots are training on them.
Escalation of Russian Attacks
The bad news is that Russian attacks on
Ukrainian cities have continued and intensified.
On Sunday, February 23, a day before the war’s
anniversary, Russia launched its largest drone
attack to date, deploying 267 kamikaze drones.
Ukrainian defenses shot down 138, while 119
crashed due to electronic warfare disruptions
or were decoys meant to overwhelm Ukrainian
UKRAINE
Symbols of guided bomb attacks on the nose of the
MiG-29. Its fuselage number is still unknown.
One of 14 MiG-29 fighter jets donated to Ukraine by Poland.
Captain Ivan Bolotov from Ukraine’s 831st Tactical Aviation Brigade, who was killed
on February 2 during a combat mission.
A Ukrainian Air Force Su-27UB1M carrying the fuselage number "Blue 69."
INFO Eduard
29
April 2025