France trains Ukrainian pilots to operate Mirage 2000 fighters for month and half
Ukrainian pilots have been trained to operate multipurpose Mirage 2000 fighter jets in France for a month and a half.
Source: Le Figaro, the French newspaper ; European Pravda
Details: According to the newspaper, about thirty Ukrainian pilots have been undergoing accelerated training on French fighter-bombers at the Mont-de-Marsan and Nancy air bases for more than a month and a half.
The decision to train pilots was made on the eve of the visit of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Paris on 8 February.
In the event of a political decision, France could supply the Ukrainian army with a dozen fighters.
The French Air Force now has 195 fighters: 96 Rafale and 99 Mirage 2000 of various series; another 40 aircraft are in service with the Naval Forces. Recently, France has been gradually abandoning the Mirage in favour of the Rafale, but the Mirage 2000-C modification is considered a pretty good aircraft, which after additional repairs can be sold to interested countries.
Background: In early March, French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu said in conversation with members of the Senate that France had not yet made any decisions on aircraft for Ukraine or pilot training but admitted that the topic was being discussed.
Earlier, American media reported that two Ukrainian pilots were already in the United States to assess their skills, and, according to CNN, ten more could join them.
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