https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/f ... to-ukraine
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speaking today, Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuri Ignat referred specifically to a “proposal from France … about Rafale multipurpose jets,” but noted that “we have to work through that issue.” Ignat also said that negotiations with France had been “in progress for a pretty extended period,” although it’s not clear if he was referring specifically to talks about supplying fighter jets.
We asked a French official for clarification, but they were not able to comment on the Rafale specifically. “The Ukrainians have made requests for various pieces of equipment, all of which are being discussed between our two countries,” The War Zone was told. “The Ukrainian priority was air defense and artillery, to which we are contributing considerably.”
Whether the Rafale represents wishful thinking on the Ukrainian side or a genuine French offer, remains unclear. However, it’s hard to envisage that France would be able to spare any Rafales in the short term, especially since it’s already committed to transferring these to other export operators. Inserting Ukrainian personnel into the training pipeline would also seem to offer significant challenges, while the maintenance of such a sophisticated jet would likely be harder still.
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A more likely — and suitable — aircraft is the Mirage 2000C, a type that was officially withdrawn by the French Air and Space Force in June last year.
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Despite its fly-by-wire flight control system that ensures a high level of agility and exceptional handling, the French-standard Mirage 2000C has several key drawbacks, most notably a lack of a radar-guided missile for longer-range engagements. The old radar-guided Super 530D missile was retired back in 2012, leaving a primary armament of the 1980s-era Magic II short-range heat-seeking air-to-air missile and two internal 30mm cannons.
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It’s unclear if reintegration of the Super 530D missile is even a possibility, bearing in mind the considerable age of that weapon and it would also fall well short of the performance offered by the AMRAAM. It could be the case that providing a jet with a more limited and air-defense-optimized capability might make it more politically expedient since it would be arguably less of an escalation.
On the other hand, the Mirage 2000C has been upgraded to fly ground-attack missions using 500-pound GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bombs, which could also be supplied, if the United States gave approval, providing a degree of multirole capability. It’s possible that other weapons, too, could be integrated into the Mirage 2000C, given time and appropriate approvals, although, in its current configuration, the jet lacks its own targeting pod, which is a significant operational drawback.
France also operates the much-improved Mirage 2000-5F, also in a primary air defense role, although these aircraft remain in service for homeland defense and international missions, and it’s highly questionable if the French Air and Space Force would give them up easily.
There could be other ‘first-generation’ Mirage 2000 fighters available, too, beyond those that France retired last year.
Two French red air contractors have reportedly acquired surplus Mirage 2000s but it’s not clear if plans to operate these in an adversary role will be realized. One firm, ARES, reportedly acquired surplus Mirage 2000s from Qatar, with the aim of providing 12 for adversary training to the French military. Another French firm, Procor, secured some of the dozen Mirage 2000s that were formerly operated by Brazil, plus more from French stocks, with similar ambitions. Depending on these contractors’ plans, some of these jets could potentially make their way to Ukraine instead, although the condition of the aircraft is unclear.
Meanwhile, Greece could offer a source of combat-ready Mirage 2000s, with its fleet of Mirage 2000EG/BG jets (equivalent to the French Mirage 2000C/B) becoming surplus to requirements as the Hellenic Air Force continues to introduce the Rafale fighter to replace them. According to Flight International’s latest World Air Forces fleet survey, Greece has 16 single-seat Mirage 2000EGs and a pair of two-seat Mirage 2000BGs in its inventory.
There is also the possibility that the French move is more of a stalking horse than a genuinely realistic proposal. In this way, an acknowledgment that Paris is considering supplying Kyiv with fighter jets could prompt Ukraine's other allies to do the same, building a potential coalition of countries who could work together to achieve this or pushing one country to commit fully.
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Ca ne se fait pas en quelques mois. 
