MOSCOW, June 4. /TASS/. France’s Rafale fighter jets will soon be added to the Ukrainian Air Force fleet, French Ambassador to Sweden Thierry Carlier wrote on X.
The diplomat’s statement was prompted by the Swedish government’s promise to transfer JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets to the Ukrainian Air Force.
Carlier suggested that Rafale fighters will soon join Mirage 2000-5 and Gripen jets in Ukrainian service.
Vladimir Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron signed a framework deal last November that allows Kiev to purchase up to 100 Rafale fighter jets from Paris through 2035. The same agreement envisaged the potential supply of SAMP-T anti-aircraft missile systems, air defense radars, air-to-air missiles, and aerial bombs to Ukraine.
According to industry experts, these aircraft could be the most modern F4 modification. As a result, according to the Army Recognition portal, by the 2030s, the Ukrainian Air Force will be operating a fighter inventory composed of F-16AM/BM MLU, Mirage 2000-5F, Gripen C/D, Gripen E/F, and Rafale F4 jets.
