France has announced its intention to transfer Mirage fighters to Ukraine, however, according to Business Insider, these aircraft are not the best option for the Ukrainian armed forces. In this article, we will examine why Mirage fighters may be less effective in today's conflict, and what alternatives might better meet Ukraine's needs.
"The Mirage 2000-5, like its F-16 counterpart, is a good fourth-generation fighter that will bring some additional capabilities to Ukraine's aging fleet of Soviet-era combat aircraft. But none of these planes is the best option for Kyiv in view of the current battle conditions," the article says.
Aviation and technology expert from the British think tank Royal United Services Institute Justin Bronk believes that the effectiveness of the Mirage 2000-5 is primarily limited by the MICA air-to-air missile, which has a much shorter range than the AIM-120 AMRAAM variants that Kyiv could use with the F-16, Bronk said. Also, Ukrainian fighter jets are forced to fly at relatively low altitudes due to the powerful Russian defense systems, which limits the effectiveness of their missiles.
