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France’s Mirage 2000-5 Transfers to Ukraine Shrouded in Mystery—Only Five Confirmed?
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Despite widespread speculation that France had transferred 20 Mirage 2000-5F fighters to Ukraine — or perhaps 12, or even just 6 — the numbers don’t match up, according to an analysis of French defense ministry data by Ukrainian outlet Defense Express on September 17.
The annual French defense report Chiffres clés de la défense 2025, published by the Ministry of Armed Forces, details the number of aircraft in active service.
As of December 31, 2024, the French Air Force operated just 23 Mirage 2000-5Fs—down from 28 listed in the previous year’s report.
Here is some more footage of a Ukrainian Mirage 2000-5 flying over Ukrainian skies. https://t.co/CV3AX7fhE9 pic.twitter.com/h9RhqXZupE
— French Aid to Ukraine 🇨🇵 🇺🇦 (@aidefranceukr) August 8, 2025
At the same time, France had converted all of its two-seat Mirage 2000B jets into trainers for pilots transitioning to the Mirage 2000D and Mirage 2000-5.
This data, Defense Express notes, means that at the beginning of 2025—when Paris announced the strengthening of Ukraine’s air force with Mirage 2000-5s—only up to five aircraft could realistically have been transferred, as these were the jets already retired from active French service.
Still, Paris has never publicly confirmed how many Mirage 2000-5Fs it delivered to Ukraine, nor has it addressed media speculation about exact figures.
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Estimates have ranged widely, from all 23 aircraft to 20 combat-ready units, to 12 as the most likely figure, and finally to 6 as a compromise between aiding Ukraine and maintaining French operational needs.
Defense Express also points out that the ceiling of five available aircraft might not even reflect the final transfer. It is possible that one jet was retained in France for pilot and technician training, leaving only four physically delivered to Ukraine.
The uncertainty is further compounded by the July 22, 2025, crash of one French Mirage 2000-5F during a “crisis situation,” in which the pilot successfully ejected.
Earlier, French Mirage 2000 fighter jets conducted a symbolic flight over the Black Sea, following a route that traced the shape of Ukraine’s national emblem, the trident.
