Will France deliver the Leclerc tanks requested by kyiv to Ukraine? The question is raised in France to allow the Ukrainian army to face the Russian offensives that will be launched at the end of winter. If Paris still hesitates, it supported the country from the beginning of the conflict by sending weapons often taken from the stocks of the French armies.
“The transfer strategy is aimed, in particular, at strengthening the operational capacity of the Ukrainian armed forces in areas with strategic challenges such as artillery, armored mobility and surface-to-air defense,” explains the Ministry of the Armed Forces.
In 2022, France contributed 550 million euros out of a total European amount of 3 billion euros. In addition to weapons, France has created a special support fund with an endowment increased to 200 million euros. This amount allows Ukraine to directly equip itself with French manufacturers of the BITD (industrial and technological defense base).
On the other hand, Ukrainian soldiers were trained in France for the use of the equipment and weaponry provided. France also offers training for combatants and specialized training (maintenance, logistics, etc.). To date, the French army has already trained more than 400 Ukrainian military specialists.
France also sent combat equipment (helmets, body armor, night vision binoculars, combat rations, NBC uniforms, medical equipment), as well as fuel and ammunition of all calibers, the details of which are being kept confidential. As for the weaponry, we have set up an update to the weaponry that has been supplied and will be shipping in the coming weeks.
one hundred armored vehicles
• About twenty AMX10-RC
This 15 ton amphibious light armored vehicle was designed for intelligence and reconnaissance. It is equipped with 105mm cannons and 7.62mm machine guns and can carry up to 38 rounds.
The AMX number given has not been officially indicated, but it will be done due to its substitution by the Jaguarits successor created as part of the Scorpion Collaborative Combat Program. It can be estimated that France will send to Kyiv within two months gradually about twenty AMX10. Operator training should begin in the next few days.
• 60 front armored vehicles (VAB)
About sixty VAB (Forward Armored Cars) have been supplied to Ukraine. Entering service in 1976, it is currently the most common troop transport vehicle in the French Army. He is usually armed with a machine gun, but can also be equipped with a machine gun or missile system.
• 20 fortresses
In October, France reinforced its military support for Ukraine by announcing a donation of 20 Bastion armored vehicles (Arquus). The Bastion is a 12.5 ton tank developed exclusively for export. There are several versions. The one to be sent to Ukraine will be the APC, a combat model equipped with a turret to house a 12.7mm caliber machine gun.
twenty guns
• 18 Caesars
France provided 18 Caesar guns 155mm to Ukraine. These howitzers are especially appreciated for their maneuverability: they are mounted directly on a truck. They have a range of 40 kilometers and each weapon has its own ballistic computer as well as its own navigation system. They can fire six rounds per minute.
• 6 x 155mm TRF1
The TRF1 is a 155mm towed gun with a range of 24 kilometers with conventional shells and 30 kilometers with active-reactive shells. Its rate of fire is 6 shots per minute. It is motorized to move at less than 10 km/h to change position after firing.
“A few dozen” anti-tank missiles Milan
France has provided “a few dozen” Milan surface-to-surface anti-tank missiles, a weapon suitable for fighting tanks, armored vehicles or buildings. The Milan allows you to shoot day and night thanks to an infrared system. Hit targets up to 2,500 meters thanks to a semi-automatic guidance system, called “guidance-by-wire”.
Over a hundred air defense systems
• Mistral
Mistral very short-range anti-aircraft missiles were supplied. They can hit a ground target at a distance of 6,000 meters and an air target at an altitude of 3,000 meters. Manufactured by MBDA, France authorized Norway to donate a hundred of these surface-to-air missiles out of 400 purchased during the 1990s.
• rattlesnake
In terms of anti-aircraft defense, the Crotale, produced by Thales and armed by MBDA, is a short-range system (3,000 meters above sea level) suitable for destroying Russian missiles and kamikaze drones like the ones Iran supplies to Moscow. More sophisticated than the Mistral, the Crotals have radar and a firing computer to hit the target in infrared. However, it is not known how many rattlesnakes were supplied.
• A Mamba system
France and Italy will send to Ukraine next summer a Mamba SAMP-T system (Thales) made up of elements provided by the two countries. The training of the Ukrainian operators will begin in the next few days. This system is equipped with Aster-30 medium range missiles (MBDA).
It is designed to deal with ballistic or cruise missile attacks, attack fighter aircraft or drones, the Mamba is a supersonic weapon (mach 4.5) capable of reaching a target up to an altitude of 20 kilometers at a distance of more than 100 kilometers. .
Two Unitary Rocket Launchers (LRU)
Ukraine received two French rocket launchers (LRU). With an attack capability of more than 70 kilometers, they make it possible to hit distant targets, for example, Russian logistics chains or their rear bases, or to attack the front while being out of range of enemy fire.
Source: BFM TV
