New French Mirage fighter jets could help Ukraine skirt one of the biggest roadblocks for the F-16 program

Ukraine will be getting its second Western jet type, as France plans to send Mirages.
France also said it was training Ukrainian pilots.
That's a big benefit, experts said, as the F-16 training program keeps being delayed.
France's plan for getting Ukraine new Western fighter jets could help it skirt a big issue facing the F-16 program.

France is giving Ukraine Mirage jets, and once they arrive, they will be the second Western aircraft type that Ukraine has received, after the American-made F-16, since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Part of France's pledge includes a promise to train Ukrainian pilots on the jets, which is good news for Ukraine given the persistent delays in Western programs designed to train its pilots on F-16s.

France's armed forces minister, Sébastien Lecornu, said the jets would be equipped for the fight in Ukraine, "but most important of all is the training of pilots and mechanics, which continues in Nancy."