The first three French Dassault Mirage 2000-5 fighters are expected to arrive in Ukraine by the end of April. And they will be equipped with the best French air-to-ground weapons, including SCALP-EG cruise missiles and Hammer glider bombs.
According to Forbes, Mirage 2000-5 fighters promise to expand the capabilities of the Ukrainian Air Force to deliver deep strikes against Russian targets in the temporarily occupied territory. At the same time, it was not known in advance that the Mirage 2000-5 would be capable of delivering air-to-ground strikes.
"These fast aircraft, which are in service with the French Air Force, exclusively perform air-to-air sorties using RDY pulse-Doppler radars and MICA missiles. The Taiwanese Air Force also uses Mirage 2000-5s for air defense, relying on the aircraft's superior climb speed to quickly intercept invading Chinese aircraft," writes author David Axe.
However, Ukraine needs strike aircraft more than air defense fighters. It is noted that the F-16s will complement the pre-war fleet of MiG-29s and Su-27s, which are currently conducting air patrols. At the same time, the Mirage 2000s will be supplemented by Su-24 bombers, which are currently the only cruise missile carriers in the Ukrainian Air Force.
The only Ukrainian Air Force unit to use the Su-24, the 7th Tactical Aviation Brigade, had only about a dozen airworthy aircraft at the start of the full-scale war. In 32 months of intense fighting, it lost 18 to Russian missiles.
But Ukraine inherited about 200 Su-24s from the Soviet Union in 1991, and many of those planes are still serviceable. Technicians have refurbished so many of the old bombers that the 7th Tactical Aviation Brigade actually has more aircraft than it had before the Russians attacked. And the dozen or more Mirage 2000-5 fighters that France plans to give to Ukraine will supplement that fleet.
Cruise missiles are the only long-range weapons compatible with the Su-24 and Mirage 2000-5. The planes are also capable of carrying Hammer glider bombs. In addition, the French aircraft, like the Su-34, should be compatible with the new Ukrainian glider bomb.
However, there is one big difference between cruise missiles and glider bombs. It is the range:
"To strike with glider bombs, Su-24 or Mirage 2000-5 aircraft would have to fly closer to Russian air defense systems. This is risky and could lead to large losses."