On Thursday afternoon (June 6), French President Emmanuel Macron introduced the switch of Dassault Mirage 2000 fighter jets to Ukraine as a bolt from the blue.
“Tomorrow we’ll launch a brand new cooperation program and announce the supply of the Mirage 2000-5 collection – French fight plane that may permit Ukraine to defend its territory and airspace. From tomorrow we’ll launch a pilot coaching program and ship these plane by the tip of the 12 months,” Macron mentioned.
He didn’t specify the variety of planes, saying that the coaching program for Ukrainian pilots would begin this summer time.
“We want 5-6 months to coach them in France, in order that they are going to be prepared by the tip of the 12 months,” mentioned the French president.
“The French F-16”, or an excellent airplane for its time
The information triggered a storm of feelings amongst atypical Ukrainians. Actually, from a purely psychological viewpoint, the long-awaited switch of Western plane to Ukraine is an important occasion, which supplies confidence to its impact. Nevertheless, the sensible advantages of this should not apparent: a minimum of not if we examine the technical traits of the French fighter with the traits of Russian plane.
Let’s check out what Mirage is all about
The Mirage 2000 made its first flight in 1978, ie virtually fifty years in the past. The identical 12 months the US enters service with the F-16 Combating Falcon. A 12 months earlier, in 1977, the Soviet MiG-29, which remains to be the spine of the Ukrainian Air Power’s fight plane, first flew.
Merely put: the Mirage 2000 is among the earliest (although not the primary) fourth-generation fighters. It’s tough to check it with the 4+ plane that appeared initially of the century, as a result of they belong to the identical technology solely formally. It’s value including that France by no means had the sources of the USA and the USSR, so it was tough for her to compete with the plane producers of probably the most highly effective nations on the earth.
Normally, the Mirage could be described as a compromise between worth and fight effectiveness: it’s a type of price range analogue of American fighters of the 70s of the final century. Just like the F-16, the French have a single engine, a comparatively restricted vary and good maneuverability. When it comes to fight effectiveness, the fundamental model is nearer to the MiG-29 than the F-16, though the Soviet plane is twin-engined.
The Mirage 2000 is concerned in fight operations, though not as lively because the F-15 or F-16. In August 1995, one among these plane was reportedly shot down by the Serbs utilizing an Igla MANPAD, and the next 12 months a Greek Mirage 2000 shot down a Turkish F-16 over the Aegean Sea. The Mirage was used within the 1999 Kargil battle (a border battle between India and Pakistan), primarily to assault floor targets.
Mirage 2000: radar gear
It’s value noting that the Mirage 2000 is a complete household of preventing machines, that are typically very completely different from one another. For instance, the Mirage 2000D is just not a lot a particular strike plane. Thus, the Mirage 2000-5 (which Ukraine will obtain) is a contemporary export model developed within the early Nineteen Nineties, with upgraded methods on board.
The Mirage 2000-5 is powered by a Snecma M53 engine and has a prime velocity of two,300 km/h. The plane’s altitude is sort of 17,000 meters and its vary is about 1,800 km.
These options alone do not inform you a lot: the identical excessive velocity is essentially ineffective in fashionable warfare. What is absolutely essential in regards to the Mirage 2000-5 is the brand new Radar Doppler mannequin Y (RDY), which detects fighter-sized targets at a distance of 120-130 km. In keeping with this indicator, the French plane is barely higher than the Russian Su-27SM/SM3, however loses to newer fighters, particularly the Su-35S.
The H035 “Irbis” radar on the Su-35C is thought to have the ability to detect fighter-type targets at a distance of 300 km. Some sources report a variety of 400 km, however these are clearly very massive targets that may solely be detected below “supreme” circumstances.
In addition to the Su-35C, the Su-30SM is among the most efficient Russian fighters. It has a “Bars” H0011M radar with a lot smaller options. In keeping with open sources, Bars can detect a MiG-29 fighter at a distance of about 140 km.
Air-to-air weapons: what can the Mirage do?
Much more essential is the query of weapons: right here the distinction between the Mirage 2000-5 and the brand new Russian plane turns into even larger.
For the reason that Mirage is a small single-engine plane, its payload is comparatively “small” – 6.2-6.3 tons. Though that is considerably bigger than the MiG-29, it’s a lot smaller than the beforehand talked about Su-35S and Su-30SM (about 8 tons).
However the principle benefit of the latter is just not within the variety of weapons, however in names. If we don’t take into consideration the short-range missiles that misplaced the “evolutionary battle” and are now not in sensible use, the principle missile of the Mirage 2000-5 is the MICA (Missile d’Interception de Fight et d’Autodéfense) , which was adopted on weapons within the Nineteen Nineties.
The missile is provided with a thermal imaging homing head (MICA-IR) and an lively radar (MICA EM). The utmost vary claimed for the missile is 80 km. Actually, it’s an analogue of the early variations of the American missile AIM-120 AMRAAM, which appeared within the early Nineteen Nineties. On the time, MICA would meet the necessities of the time, however in 2000, its options weren’t sufficient.
The Individuals themselves created improved variations based mostly on AMRAAM, particularly AIM-120D with a variety of 160-180 km. It’s potential that they are going to be built-in (or already built-in) into the F-16s that shall be delivered to Ukraine. The AIM-120 missile is just not built-in into the Mirage 2000.
As for Russian plane, they’ve lengthy been outfitted with long-range air-to-air missiles, which considerably exceed the vary of not solely MICA, however even the most recent variations of AMRAAM. It’s in regards to the missile R-37M, which was created on the premise of the R-33, with a confirmed vary of 300 km. Though it appears to be much less in apply, that doesn’t negate the hazard that exists.
It’s recognized for certain that the P-37M can be utilized with the Su-35S, Su-30SM2 (upgraded Su-30SM) and the MiG-31BM interface, which signifies that the overall variety of carriers of the brand new missile to be about 150-200 fighters. However even when that quantity is decrease, the efficiency of the Mirage 2000 will nonetheless not be the identical because it was a number of a long time in the past.
“After we are speaking about Russian planes just like the Su-35, which might carry long-range missiles based mostly on the P-33, with a variety of 200 kilometers and radars that may see a number of hundred kilometers, the Mirage is harmful to make use of 2000 in opposition to them. in addition to the destruction of enemy cruise missiles and Shahed, Sergey Zgurets, head of the knowledge and consulting firm Protection Categorical, to UNIAN.
The one air-to-air missile that’s assured to outperform the Russian fashions is the MBDA Meteor, which has a direct-flow jet engine that permits it to take care of a excessive flight velocity all through its trajectory, however then again will increase the infrared visibility of the missile assault. Meteor’s vary is about 200 km.
Solely the Swedish JAS-39 Gripen, the “pan-European” Eurofighter Storm and the French Dassault Rafale can carry this missile. Out of all these plane, solely the Gripen was in a position to attain Ukraine, however the Swedes not too long ago made it clear that they’d not surrender the Gripen. At the very least till the primary F-16s are delivered to Ukraine.
The precise airplane (Im): Will the Mirage 2000 assist Ukraine?
However can we are saying that the Mirage 2000-5 is a “dangerous” fighter Really, no.
As well as, there may be an opinion that the traits of Russian fighters are overestimated, so the Mirage shall be simpler than anticipated.
“The Mirage 2000-5 is provided with an improved radar system that’s considerably higher than the methods that the Russians have.
In actuality, there are questions in regards to the tactical and technical traits of those plane. As we will see, Russian planes are being destroyed by the air protection forces of Ukraine, so I consider that these options of Russian radars are propaganda,” mentioned aviation professional and deputy normal director of digital warfare firm Anatoly Khrapchinsky to UNIAN.
…General, the Mirage 2000-5 is just not a foul selection for Ukraine, which may even make its mark within the struggle. Nevertheless, from a proper viewpoint, it has no benefits over Russian plane, and as well as, it’s considerably inferior to the F-16 by way of typical weapons.
Subsequently, supply of the Mirage will solely make sense if there may be numerous such plane. In any other case, it can solely complicate the logistics and upkeep of the Air Power fleet, which can ultimately include mixed Soviet and American fighters.
In keeping with open sources, the overall variety of Dassault Mirage 2000 that was constructed is about 600 models: this consists of all variations of the plane, lots of which have been damaged a very long time in the past. France itself has 27 Mirage 2000-5F plane in service as of 2024. If all of them are transferred to Ukraine, it is going to be a significant reinforcement of the Ukrainian Air Power.
2024-06-07 17:57:20
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