Expert labels Macron’s Mirage 2000 deal for Ukraine "strategic blunder" Warns of weakening French Air Force

French President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to send Mirage 2000 fighter jets to Ukraine has weakened France’s defence capabilities, according to Cyrile de Lattre, a French aviation expert and geopolitical analyst. 

In an interview with TASS, de Lattr criticized the move, calling it detrimental to the country's military strength, per Caliber.Az.

Macron recently stated in an interview with French regional media that Paris could supply Ukraine with additional Mirage 2000 fighters, negotiating with countries where the jets are still in service.

French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu confirmed the first transfer of such planes to Ukraine on February 6, although he did not specify the total number of aircraft. According to media reports, it is expected to be no more than six jets.

“Macron implemented a very bad idea by disarming the French Air Force, which is a true betrayal, as the 2000-5F jets transferred to Ukraine were part of the 1-2 'Crane' fighter aviation group based in eastern France, responsible for protecting French airspace. Thus, the transfer of these planes has affected the French armed forces,” de Lattre said.

He explained that the transferred Mirage 2000 fighters were of the 2000-5F modification, where “F” stands for France. “They are equipped with special equipment on board designed for intercepting aircraft over French territory. This is not a plane for ground support, it is intended for air interception,” de Lattre noted.

“The three planes we transferred were a real betrayal, as they weakened the French Air Force. The reason is simple: it forced Rafale fighters to fly much more, which increased the frequency of their maintenance and operational readiness activities, what we call MCO (Maintenance en Condition Opérationnelle),” he added.

De Lattre further explained that in order to provide Ukraine with more Mirage 2000s, Macron would need to take them from previous export deliveries. “There are several countries that have Mirage 2000: Greece, Qatar, and others. But for this, Macron needs to get permission from these countries to remove the jets from their fleets and transfer them to Ukraine. But what will he offer in return?” he said.

“If Macron says we are at war, that we are moving to a war economy, and Dassault needs to increase Rafale production, then if we take Mirage 2000s from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Greece, which want to keep them, we will need to offer them something in return. However, since Dassault cannot produce more than 2-3 jets per month, the question arises: where will we find this compensation?” concluded the expert.

By Tamilla Hasanova