French Rafale fighters will soon join the fighter fleet of the Ukrainian Air Force. Thierry Carlier, the French ambassador to Sweden, announced this. The diplomat's statement is due to the Swedish government's promise to transfer JAS 39 Gripen fighters to the Air Force of Ukraine.
"Along with the French Mirage 2000-5s, the Rafale fighter jets will also arrive there soon," Carlier wrote. Volodymyr Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron signed a framework agreement in November 2025 that allows Kiev to buy up to 100 Rafale fighter jets from Paris by 2035. The same agreement also included the possible 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 planes can be the most modern modification of F4.
As a result, as the Army Recognition portal notes, by 2030 the fighter fleet of the Ukrainian Air Force will consist of four Western-designed aircraft: the American F-16AM/BM MLU, the French Mirage 2000-5F and Rafale F4, as well as the Swedish Gripen C/D and Gripen E/F.
