A joint United Arab Emirates (UAE)-China airborne training exercise dubbed Falcon Shield 2024 has potentially provided Beijing with access to intricate capabilities of the Mirage 2000 fighter operated by the UAE Air Force, an aircraft also in service with a number of other countries, including France and Taiwan.

Announcing the exercise on mid-July, which is due to run until the end of the month, China’s Ministry of National Defense stated it was the second iteration of the serial and was intended to “enhance mutual understanding and trust” with the UAE military.

In a social media post, the UAE Ministry of Defence echoed similar sentiments, adding it would focus on “implementing joint operations” and “optimally employ various capabilities to confront air threats”.

However, the use of Mirage 2000 fighters in the joint China-UAE exercise will be concerning, given its use by Western and allied forces. Taiwan operates the Mirage 2000 fighter, with 60 aircraft in its inventory, while France still maintains 70 of its Mirage 2000D fighters.

In a 22 July 2024, post by Joseph Dempsey, research associate for defence and military analysis at the UK-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), it was posited that the joint exercises between the UAE Air Force and China’s PLA Air Force could “raise questions about the potential for information gathering on Western aircraft by Beijing”.

The UAE fighters were identified by the IISS as being Dassault Mirage 2000-9DAD/EAD, with at least six participating in the exercises, along with an MRTT tanker-transporter and, potentially, C-17 strategic airlift aircraft.

China will benefit from Mirage 2000 understanding

First introduced into service in the 1980s, the Mirage 2000 is a multirole combat fighter from French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation and has been operational with the French Air Force since 1984. The fighter was also acquired by the UAE, Egypt, Greece, India, Peru, Qatar, and Taiwan.

According to GlobalData fleet inventory data, the UAE Air Force currently operates 61 Mirage 2000-9 fighter, acquired between 1999-2007.

With the UAE exercising inside China, the fears will run that Beijing will be able to glean valuable data into the Mirage 2000-9 fighter, including, potentially, key radar signatures.

Even when operating with fellow Nato forces, the French Air and Space Force routinely turns off key capabilities of the radars fitted to its own Mirage fighters for national security requirements.

In 2016 France’s Air Force awarded a contract to Dassault for the renovation of 55 Mirage 2000D combat aircraft, while agreement was also reached between both parties during the Dubai Airshow in November 2017 for the upgrade of the UAE’s Mirage 2000-9 fleet, indicating a potential similarity in sensor and combat capabilities between the French and Emirati fighters.