On September 29, the Ukrainian Air Force announced that its F-16 pilots had shot down "more than 3,150 aerial targets," including 2,500 drones of various types and approximately 600 cruise missiles launched by Russian forces. The announcement was made during a meeting between the acting chief of staff of the Ukrainian Air Force, General Anatoliy Kryvonojko, and officials from Lockheed Martin, the American defense company that designed the F-16 fighter jet. The meeting focused on upgrading the F-16s, which were delivered to Ukraine by several European countries, including the Netherlands and Denmark. Lockheed Martin proposed modernizing the aircraft to the latest standard, known as the Block 70/72 Viper. If this upgrade is accepted, the F-16s will be joined by sixteen used JAS-39 Gripen C/D aircraft transferred by Sweden and sixteen Gripen E/F aircraft ordered by Ukraine from the Swedish manufacturer Saab. This acquisition was made possible by a 90 billion euro loan from the European Union. Part of the loan will also be used to buy sixteen Rafale fighter jets, a deal announced on July 13 by French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski. According to the latest two editions of Chiffres clefs de la Défense, a French defense report, six Mirage 2000-5F aircraft have been transferred or are expected to be transferred to the Ukrainian Air Force, with five arriving in 2024 and one in 2025. The sixteen Rafale aircraft are expected to be operational in Ukrainian airspace starting in 2028. This timeline accounts for the three years it takes to assemble such aircraft. Dassault Aviation, the French company that builds the Rafale, has not yet confirmed a contract with Ukraine, suggesting the planes might come from the fifth batch intended for the French Air and Space Force or from an existing export client who has agreed to delay their delivery. According to a joint statement from July, the first four Rafale aircraft will be "transferred" to Ukraine after the completion of pilot and maintenance training, which could start in France as early as 2026. Starting the training as soon as possible is expected to allow the deployment of these aircraft in Ukraine earlier. In a recent interview, French Minister of the Armed Forces Catherine Vautrin and her Ukrainian counterpart, Yevhenii Khmara, discussed the ongoing efforts to acquire Rafale jets, which will help modernize the Ukrainian Air Force using European funding. The integration of missiles for anti-drone operations on Mirage 2000 and Rafale aircraft is also expected to be accelerated. Since June, the Rafale has already had the capability to fire 68 mm missiles supplied by Thales, a French defense company. French Minister Benjamin Haddad mentioned during an interview with franceinfo that training for Ukrainian pilots has begun, with plans to deploy Rafale aircraft in Ukrainian airspace piloted by Ukrainian pilots. In the meantime, Vautrin confirmed the delivery of ASTER 30 interceptor missiles for the SAMP/T air defense system, along with air-to-air MICA missiles and 30 mm shells for the Mirage 2000-5F.