Ukraine expects provision Mirage fighter, negotiates on Gripen and Eurofighter – Ukraine's Defence Minister

Ivanna Kostina, KATERYNA TYSHCHENKO — Sunday, 22 September 2024, 16:32

Ukraine expects allies to supply French Mirage-2000 jets while also discussing the provision of Swedish Saab JAS-39 Gripen and German-British Eurofighter Typhoon.

Source: Ukraine’s Defence Minister Rustem Umierov on the air of the national 24/7 newscast, as reported by European Pravda

Details: In particular, Umierov the allies’ commitment to supply F-16s, as well as Mirage-2000s.

Quote: "Conversations about commitments or talks regarding Gripens are ongoing, as are consultations regarding Eurofighters. This is an excellent list of platforms, and we are discussing when they will begin. Soon, we will have results to announce. I hope we can report soon," the minister said.

According to Umierov, the ministry previously focused on pilot training, fighter infrastructure, and operational platforms, but now seeks for air superiority over the Russian Armed Forces.

"We worked last year to focus on pilot training, platform acquisition, and infrastructure development, and this year we will focus on how to grow it enough to get an advantage over the enemy in the air. These processes have previously been developed, but they need to be scaled up, and we are currently working on that. And we already have solutions that we are now working on with partners," Umierov said.

Speaking about negotiations with international partners on aircraft supply, the minister stated: "The enemy uses up to 300 planes and 300 helicopters, so we notify our allies how many brigades or jets we need. We also explain realistically what platforms we need and what weapons they should have."

Background:

On 20 September, the French Armed Forces stated that the first batch of Ukrainian pilots had completed their training on Alpha Jet aircraft.
Earlier, it was reported that the first set of Ukrainian pilots began theoretical training on F-16 fighters in Romania and may begin practical training in the coming months.
According to the media, Ukrainian pilots will fly training F-16s provided to Romania by the Netherlands. This should alleviate concerns about Russia's threats to destroy NATO aircraft heading to Ukraine.

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