France remains restrained in supplying weapons to Ukraine. On Wednesday, the head of state, Emmanuel Macron, indicated that France could provide “radars, systems and missilesprotect (Ukrainians) from (Russian) attacks, especially protect them from drone attacks.”but without elaborating.
According to well-informed sources, these will include Crotale short-range surface-to-air missiles and GM200 radars. Effective air defense cannot function without this detection/interception pair.
Implement support
In the ranking tableofficialsFrance is at the back of the pack when it comes to arms shipments. The government shrinks in the face of criticism, but does not change its approach, preferring, it is said, discretion over the consequences of statements. The ability to help is also limited by the low supply of available equipment. Paris, however, is looking into shipping the LRU, according to a source familiar with the matter. This type of “unified missile system” is capable of hitting at a distance of 70 km and can contribute to Ukraine’s advantage on the front. But the army has only 13 systems.
To make French support for Ukraine concrete, Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu also signed an agreement with his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksiy Reznikov in Brussels on Thursday, which created “special support fund“. Endowed with 100 million euros, it will enable Ukraine to acquire military equipment.directly from French producers“. France also provides fuel and ammunition and participates in operational training missions for Ukrainian soldiers and service groups.
Other countries have announced new aid to Ukraine. This week, the United Kingdom pledged to supply AMRAAM missiles that can be used by the US NASAMS air defense system. Spain intends to send Hawk systems. Italy is studying the possibility of supplying SAMP/Ts.
Now the difficulty lies in building a comprehensive air defense system. It involves operator training, sometimes as long as six months, and system integration. Almost eight months after the start of the war, Ukraine and the West face the challenge of consistency between all the equipment delivered.
Source: Le Figaro
