Ukraine to deploy Mirage jets soon, yet F‑16s still trump
French authorities have confirmed that Ukraine will be able to use the first Mirage 2000-5F jets within this quarter. Oleg Katkov, a military expert and editor-in-chief of the Defence Express portal, believes that the French aircraft will be very helpful, but they will not be used to shoot down Russian planes. Moreover, according to the expert, in some aspects, the Mirage 2000-5F falls short of the F-16 fighters.
In an interview with one of the Ukrainian online television channels, Oleg Katkov stated that both Mirage and F-16 fighters will be able to be used to a similar extent for shooting down Russian cruise missiles and drones. However, many differences in their construction and equipment mean that one should not expect the same effectiveness in all air battles with Russian forces.
Are Mirage 2000-5F worse than F-16?
“It will not be the same effectiveness if we're talking directly about air battles. The F-16 can be used to destroy targets with AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles with a range of 110 to 160 kilometres. It then has a much greater chance of countering Russian aviation and pushing it back from the front lines. And when we talk about the Mirage, it's not that it can't perform this task. But it's unlikely to do so. It uses air-to-air missiles with a maximum range of up to 80 kilometres,” said Oleg Katkov.
The Mirage is a multi-role, single-engine fighter developed by Dassault Aviation. It measures over 15 metres in length and can operate at altitudes up to 19,000 metres. Ukraine will receive variants of the Mirage 2000-5F, one of the most significant upgrades of this aircraft. Additionally, the French will ensure compatibility with a broader range of armaments to make the Mirage 2000-5F more useful for the Ukrainian army.
Fighters carrying aerial bombs
It most likely involves, among others, French AASM glide bombs, which Ukrainians are already familiar with, and Mica air-to-air missiles. The French fighters are also adapted to carry long-range SCALP-EG/Storm Shadow cruise missiles. Oleg Katkov believes that both Western fighters will have the same effectiveness when it comes to striking with high-precision weapons, especially aerial bombs.
"The F-16 can use SDB or JDAM. With the Mirage, taking into account its modernization, it will be possible to use the AASM Hammer, also a precision long-range bomb. As for long-range cruise missile strikes, the Mirage will be able to launch the Storm Shadow. Although the F-16 has the capability to launch JASSM missiles, the problem is that they have not been provided to Ukraine," explained the analyst.
