The Defense Minister of France Sebastien Lecornu confirmed that his country is considering transferring its Mirage fighter jets to Ukraine. Pilot training can be conducted in Poland.
VMFTV writes about it.
On February 28, at the hearing, Senator Philippe Follio asked Lecornu about Franceʼs plans to transfer 12 decommissioned and stored Mirage fighter jets to Ukrainians in the summer of 2022.
Senator Joël Harriot-Millam also asked about the possible training of Ukrainian pilots.
Lecornu did not confirm either the transfer of the planes or the training of the flight crew. He emphasized that the West is currently working on transferring more ammunition to Ukraine.
At the same time, he admitted that "negotiations are underway with the Ukrainians regarding aircraft and training." The minister recalled the words of President Emmanuel Macron that there are no taboos.
Lecornu clarified that difficulties with the transfer of aircraft are related to logistics, training, and maintenance capabilities.
The French Air Force fleet has 195 fighters (96 Rafale and 99 Mirage 2000 series 5, C and D). The French Navy also has 40 aircraft. The French Air Force is now decommissioning the Mirage and replacing them with Rafale aircraft.
- Ukraine has been officially asking allies to provide modern combat aircraft for several months. President Volodymyr Zelensky called on partners to hand over fighter jets to Ukraine "as soon as possible" to repel Russiaʼs offensive.
- As of February 25, only the training of Ukrainian pilots was announced. Poland and Great Britain agreed to this. Negotiations with three European countries regarding pilot training are ongoing. Currently, no country has officially announced the provision of aircraft to Ukraine.