France will transfer Mirage-2000 fighter jets to Ukraine and train their Ukrainian pilots as part of a new military cooperation with Kyiv as it fights the Russian invasion, President Emmanuel Macron announced.
France To Transfer Mirage 2000 Fighter Jets To Ukraine
France will transfer Mirage-2000 fighter jets to Ukraine and train their Ukrainian pilots as part of a new military cooperation with Kyiv as it fights the Russian invasion, President Emmanuel Macron announced. He said France would equip and train an entire brigade of 4,500 Ukrainian soldiers so they can defend themselves when they return to Ukraine from training.
Zelensky’s visit to France, where on Thursday he attended ceremonies for the 80th anniversary of D-Day and crossed paths with US President Joe Biden, is seen as a crucial time to drum up more help.
Manufacturer: Dassault Aviation
Top speed: 2,336 km/h
Range: 1,550 km
Engine types: Turbofan, Snecma M53
Germany Looking Into Buying Eight Additional F-35 Jets
Germany is looking into buying eight additional F-35 fighter jets made by U.S. defence giant Lockheed Martin, a military source told Reuters on Friday, on top of the 35 jets it has ordered.
Berlin is examining the costs of such a purchase, the source said, with the stealth aircraft seen as the most advanced fighter jet. In 2022, Germany decided to order 35 F-35s, including missiles and other weapons, for around 10 billion euros ($10.89 billion). The aircraft will replace the aging Tornado, the only German jet capable of carrying U.S. nuclear bombs stored in Germany. The German air force has been flying the Tornado since the 1980s, and Berlin has plans to phase it out between 2025 and 2030.
US To Send New $225 Million Military Aid Package To Ukraine
The U.S. will send about USD 225 million in military aid to Ukraine, U.S. officials said Thursday, in a new package that includes ammunition Kyiv’s forces could use to strike threats inside Russia to defend the city of Kharkiv from a heavy Russian assault. The officials said the aid includes munitions for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, as well as mortar systems and an array of artillery rounds. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss aid not yet publicly announced.
Under a new U.S. directive, Ukraine can use such weapons to strike across the border into Russia if forces there are attacking or preparing to attack. That change, however, does not alter U.S. policy that directs Ukraine not to use American-provided ATACMS or long-range missiles and other munitions to strike offensively inside Russia, according to U.S. officials.
