On Monday, February 9, Ukraine's Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov announced that France is preparing another batch of Mirage 2000-5 fighters for transfer to Ukraine's Defense Forces. He stated that during discussions with the French Minister of the Armed Forces, Catherine Vautrin, the parties addressed accelerating aircraft deliveries as well as record volumes of AASM Hammer guided aerial bombs.
At the same time, according to Romain Mielcarek, a journalist from the portal Guerres et Influences, the new batch of Mirage fighters is expected to arrive in Ukraine by the end of the first quarter, that is, by the end of March this year, and would consist of two additional aircraft.
Read more: France Considers Modernizing its Mirage 2000D Fighters to Counter Long-Range Shahed Drones
As of now, France has reportedly delivered three Mirage 2000-5 aircraft to Ukraine, one of which was lost in July last year. Therefore, the arrival of two more would expand the Ukrainian Air Force fleet of these fighters to four aircraft.
According to the same journalist, France ultimately plans to transfer a total of six Mirage fighters to Ukraine. If two aircraft are delivered by the end of March, only one aircraft would remain to be handed over under this reported plan.
He also noted that operating the Mirage fighters is complicated by high maintenance costs. For the partial previous year, and taking into account the loss of one aircraft in the summer, total operating expenses reportedly amounted to about EUR 10 million.
From the Defense Express perspective, it should be emphasized that no official figure has yet been announced regarding the exact number of aircraft France intends to transfer.
Back in 2024, reports suggested that France could potentially supply up to 20 aircraft. However, that scenario appeared optimistic. More realistic estimates ranged up to 12 aircraft, or possibly as few as six, as currently reported. Thus, six aircraft may indeed represent the likely maximum number of Mirage fighters Ukraine will receive.
As for maintenance costs, the cited figure can be interpreted not only as evidence that Mirage operations are expensive for Ukraine, but also as an indication that the Ukrainian Air Force is actively employing these aircraft in response to battlefield requirements, which naturally entails significant expenditures.
According to various sources, the flight hour cost of the Mirage 2000-5 is estimated at around EUR 17,000. For example, Taiwan, which has faced operational challenges with these fighters, reportedly saw flight hour costs reach approximately EUR 24,000.
It should be recalled that Ukraine received its first Mirage 2000-5 fighters in February 2025. Previously, Defense Express examined whether the Ukrainian Mirage 2000-5 aircraft received the long-anticipated MICA missiles or whether an alternative configuration is being used.
Read more: Ukraine Moves From Arms Buyer to Co-Producer of Mirage Jets and Crotale Systems
