Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, France has not stopped supplying Kyiv with arms, often drawn from its armies’ stocks. A point on military aid from Paris.
Will France deliver the Leclerc tanks requested by Kyiv to Ukraine? In France, the question is being raised whether the Ukrainian army should be allowed to face the Russian offensives that will start at the end of the winter. If Paris is still reluctant, it supported the country from the beginning of the conflict by sending arms, often from the stocks of the French armies.
“The transfer strategy aims in particular to strengthen the operational capability of the Ukrainian armed forces in areas with strategic challenges such as artillery, armored mobility and surface-to-air defense,” explains the Federal Ministry of Defense.
In 2022, France contributed 550 million euros out of a European total of 3 billion euros. In addition to armaments, France has set up a special support fund with an allocation increased to 200 million euros. This amount allows Ukraine to equip itself directly with French manufacturers from the BITD (defense industrial and technological base).
On the other hand, the Ukrainian soldiers were trained in France to use the equipment and armament provided. France also provides combatant training and specialized training (maintenance, logistics, etc.). To date, more than 400 Ukrainian military specialists have been trained by the French army.
France has also sent combat gear (helmets, bulletproof vests, night vision goggles, combat rations, NBC uniforms, medical kits) as well as fuel and ammunition of all calibers, details of which remain confidential. Regarding the armament, we have prepared an update on the delivered armament that will be sent in the coming weeks.
Hundred armored vehicles
• Around twenty AMX10 RCs
This 15-ton amphibious light armored vehicle was designed for reconnaissance and reconnaissance. It is armed with 105mm cannons and 7.62mm machine guns and can carry up to 38 shells.
The number of AMX indicated has not been officially stated, but is carried out at the rate of their replacement by the jaguarits successor, which was created as part of the Scorpion Collaborative Combat Program. It can be estimated that France will send to Kyiv gradually about twenty AMX10 within two months. Operator training is scheduled to begin in the next few days.
• 60 Forward Armored Vehicle (VAB)
Around sixty VABs (Forward Armored Vehicles) were delivered to Ukraine. It entered service in 1976 and is currently the French Army’s most common troop transport vehicle. It is most commonly armed with a machine gun, but may also be armed with a machine gun or missile system.
• 20 Fortresses
In October, France increased its military support to Ukraine by announcing a donation of 20 Bastion armored vehicles (Arquus). The Bastion is a 12.5 ton tank designed exclusively for export. There are several versions. The one that will be sent to Ukraine is the APC, a combat model equipped with a turret capable of accommodating a 12.7mm caliber machine gun.
twenty guns
• 18 Caesars
France provided 18 Caesar guns of 155 mm to Ukraine. These howitzers are particularly appreciated for their maneuverability: they are mounted directly on a truck. They have a range of 40 kilometers and each gun has its own ballistic computer and navigation system. They can fire six grenades per minute.
• 6 x 155mm TRF1
The TRF1 is a 155mm towed gun with a range of 24 kilometers with conventional projectiles and 30 kilometers with active-reactive projectiles. Its rate of fire is 6 rounds per minute. It is motorized to move at less than 10km/h to change position after shooting.
“A few dozen” Milanese anti-tank missiles
France has provided “a few dozen” Milanese anti-tank missiles, a weapon suitable for fighting tanks, armored vehicles or buildings. With the Milan you can take pictures day and night thanks to an infrared system. It reaches targets up to 2500 meters thanks to a semi-automatic guidance system called “wire-guided”.
More than a hundred anti-aircraft systems
• Mistral
Very short-range Mistral anti-aircraft missiles were delivered. You can hit a ground target at a distance of 6000 meters and an air target at 3000 meters. Manufactured by MBDA, France authorized Norway to donate one hundred of these surface-to-air missiles out of the 400 purchased in the 1990s.
• Rattlesnake
In terms of anti-aircraft defenses, the Crotale, manufactured by Thales and armed by MBDA, is a short-range system (3,000 meters above sea level) capable of destroying Russian missiles and kamikaze drones, such as those supplied to Moscow by Iran. More sophisticated than the Mistrals, the Crotales have radar and a fire computer to target in the infrared. However, it is unknown how many rattlesnakes were delivered.
• A Mamba system
France and Italy will send a Mamba SAMP-T system (Thales) to Ukraine by next summer, consisting of elements provided by the two countries. Training of Ukrainian operators will start in the next few days. This system is equipped with medium-range missiles Aster-30 (MBDA).
The Mamba is a supersonic weapon (Mach 4.5) capable of hitting a target up to 20 kilometers high at a distance of more than 100 kilometers.
Two Unified Rocket Launchers (LRU)
Ukraine received two French rocket launchers (LRU). With a striking range of more than 70 kilometers, they make it possible to hit distant targets, such as Russian logistics chains or their rear bases, or hit the front line while out of range of enemy fire.
