Following the official announcement that Ukraine will receive Mirage 2000-5 fighters, it is worth taking a closer look at what weapons they can carry. This topic has generally received little attention, aside from the fact that French aircraft can use Storm Shadow/SCALP cruise missiles.
The Mirage 2000-5F has a total of nine hardpoints: five under the fuselage and four under the wings. These hardpoints can carry up to 6,300 kg of weapons. It is also important to remember that not all hardpoints are universal.
Read more: Ukraine Officially Receives Its First French Mirage 2000 and F-16 Fighter Jets from the Netherlands Following January Reports about Their Arrival
Specifically, the Mirage 2000-5F has four universal fuselage hardpoints (positions 3, 4, 6, and 7) and two inner wing hardpoints (positions 2 and 8), which can also carry fuel tanks. The two outer wing hardpoints (positions 1 and 9) are reserved for air-to-air missiles, while the central fuselage hardpoint (position 5) is designated for air-to-ground weapons or a fuel tank.
A typical air patrol configuration includes two 2,000-liter external fuel tanks and six air-to-air missiles.
To engage aerial targets, the Mirage 2000-5 can use:
- MICA missiles with a range of up to 80 km, available in both radar-guided and infrared-guided versions.
- Super 530D missiles with a range of up to 40 km, featuring semi-active radar guidance.
- R550 Magic 2 missiles with a range of up to 20 km, featuring infrared guidance.
While MICA missiles can be launched from all hardpoints except the central one, there are restrictions for the Super 530D and R550 Magic 2. The Super 530D is mounted on hardpoints 2 and 8 (inner wing positions), while the R550 Magic 2 is carried on hardpoints 1 and 9 (outer wing positions).
It is worth noting that the MICA missile, introduced in the 1990s, has largely replaced the Super 530D and remains in widespread use.
Radar and Combat Capabilities
In air combat, the Mirage 2000-5F is equipped with the RDY (Radar Doppler Multitarget) radar, developed by Thomson-CSF (now Thales). The first version had a detection range of up to 110 km, could track eight targets simultaneously, and engage four of them. Later upgrades introduced the RDY-2 variant, which expanded capabilities and added a SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) mode for ground target detection.
Ground Attack Capabilities
The standard Mirage 2000-5F was originally integrated only with unguided bombs. However, reports of modernization suggest that long-range AASM Hammer bombs of French origin may have been integrated. These bombs can be mounted on all universal hardpoints as well as the central hardpoint, which can also accommodate a dual pylon—subject to the aircraft’s total payload limit of 6.3 tons.
For Storm Shadow/SCALP missiles, modernized Mirage 2000-5 aircraft use the central pylon.
Cannon Armament
Given the proven effectiveness of cannons in intercepting cruise missiles, as demonstrated by Ukrainian pilots, it is worth noting that the Mirage 2000-5 is armed with two 30mm DEFA 554 cannons, each with an ammunition capacity of 125 rounds.
Read more: Ukraine to Receive First Mirage 2000-5F Fighter Jets in January 2025 or May Have Already Got Them
