Ukrainian Armed Forces pilots demonstrate combat operations on French Mirage aircraft – video
The Ukrainian Air Force has shared details of its pilots’ combat operations on French Mirage 2000 aircraft.
A video published by the Air Force features a pilot and aviation technicians discussing the aircraft’s battlefield effectiveness.
The pilot, who recently completed a combat mission, noted that Ukraine has a limited number of Mirage 2000s in service.
Training: Ukrainian pilots trained in France for about six months on a twin-seat version of the Mirage, learning to fly and employ its weapons, before transitioning to the single-seat variant.
Weapons and effectiveness: The pilot highlighted the Magic 2 missile equipped on the Mirage 2000, citing an “almost 100% kill rate.” Overall, the aircraft achieves a 98% success rate in shooting down enemy drones and missiles, which he described as “impressive figures.”
Ukrainian pilots and frontline crews frequently change airfields to avoid Russian attacks, conducting missions under missile and drone fire. Despite the Mirage 2000’s high efficiency, the pilot emphasized the need to acquire more aircraft and advanced weapons to counter the Russian invasion. He noted a gap in longer-range, cost-effective weapons needed to engage the volume of enemy air assets.
The pilot also expressed interest in flying the French Rafale, citing faster retraining and its ability to carry long-range Meteor missiles:
"If I had the opportunity to switch to another aircraft, one that is better than the Mirage, I would probably switch to the Rafale. Retraining would be much faster than on aircraft from other countries."
Ukrainian F-16s and Mirage 2000s, provided by Western partners, continue to operate effectively. During a major Russian attack on 19 November, these jets shot down at least ten enemy cruise missiles.
The pilot concluded that the Ukrainian Air Force is ready to operate at any time but requires continued support from partners in supplying necessary weapons.
