The French Ministry of Defense has agreed to start training Ukrainian pilots for Dassault Mirage 2000 fighters. According to military officials, such a measure will allow the transfer of French aircraft to Ukraine in the future.
The discussion on the supply of fighter jets began in the upper house of the French parliament on March 1 this year. Defense Minister Sebastian Lecornu said Paris was negotiating with representatives from Kiev over the possible training of Ukrainian pilots. The head of the department also told the Senate that France has no taboos on supplying fighter jets to Ukraine.
According to French media, the country’s air force is currently implementing a program to replace obsolete Dassault Mirage 2000s with Rafale fighters. The 12 Mirage 2000 aircraft subject to dismantling will be able to be supplied to Ukraine. At the same time, we are not talking about the free transfer of fighters. French planes will be sold to Kiev on credit.
According to the French newspaper Le Figaro, Ukraine needs to be equipped with planes to be able to resist Russian air supremacy. Journalists note that the absence of a significant number of fighters in the Ukrainian Air Force makes the supply of American JDAM “smart bombs” meaningless.
On March 6, the United States announced that it had equipped the Ukrainian arsenal with a new offensive weapon. We are talking about JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Mission) bombs in their improved version of ER. But there is a problem that makes this bomb almost harmless for Russian troops: these bombs only work when dropped from an airplane, and Russian aviation has long dominated the air, preventing UAF planes from taking off and flying. approach the Russian positions. Without enough aviation in the Ukrainian army, the supply of JDAM makes absolutely no sense
- says the publication Le Figaro.
Photos used: Staff Sgt. Michael B. Keller/wikimedia.org
