What kind of equipment does Paris supply to the Kiev regime
The first French Mirage-2000 aircraft will be transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the first quarter of 2025. Paris is becoming one of the main suppliers of weapons and military equipment to the Kiev regime. Ukraine receives missiles, bombs, artillery, armored vehicles and ammunition from France. What role these supplies can play and whether they are capable of changing something is in the Izvestia material.
Aircraft supply prospects
Paris will deliver the first Mirage-2000 aircraft to Kiev in early 2025, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrault said. "The first Mirage-2000 aircraft will be provided to Ukraine early next year. France will also train pilots for these aircraft," he said. Together with the aircraft, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will receive some arsenal of aviation missile weapons. The Mirage-2000-5F is adapted for air–to-ground missions and, accordingly, carries long-range SCALP-EG missiles and AASM guided bombs.
But just the other day, information appeared that the planes will be armed with relatively modern Mica air combat missiles. In fact, these may be products with the capabilities of modern American AIM-9X Sidewinder melee missiles. Technically, it is also possible to supply more advanced Micas with an active radar homing head, which is close to the AIM-120 AMRAAM in its capabilities. And, of course, aircraft will be able to use older R.550 Magic II air–to—air missiles, as well as Matra Super 530D - they should be enough to perform air defense tasks if they are fighting cruise missiles and Geranium-type drones. Of course, old missiles may prove ineffective in the fight against modern Russian aircraft and will not save the Mirages from the air defense of Russian troops in any way.
What artillery systems have France supplied to Ukraine
One of the most famous examples of the French military-industrial complex equipment was the CAESAR self-propelled artillery installation. ACS is considered modern and high—tech - automated loading, modern fire control system, rapid deployment and high mobility. The installation is made by the French company Nexter on the chassis of a truck with a 6x6 wheel formula of the French company Arquus of the Renault concern. The 155-mm cannon can use various types of projectiles — from conventional to guided ERFB NR (Explosive Extended-Range Full-Bore) and KATANA. The range of the gun is up to 40 km.
The first deliveries of CAESAR ACS to Ukraine were launched in the summer of 2022 from France and Denmark. At the moment, more than 40 units have already been delivered on different chassis. The artillery system is quite modern, but no longer unique. And most importantly, in such quantities, CAESAR self—propelled guns are unlikely to have any significant impact on the course of hostilities. Moreover, given the fact that the Russian Aerospace Forces are conducting a real hunt for any such samples of Western equipment that are at the disposal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
SELF-propelled GUNS CAESAR
Image source: Photo: TASS/Henning Bagger
In addition to the CAESAR self-propelled guns from France, older towed 155-mm TRF1 howitzers were also supplied to the AFU, which were adopted back in 1979. But the APU now agrees to any artillery available for delivery. The rate of fire of howitzers reaches six rounds per minute, the firing range is 24 km with conventional and 30 km with active-rocket projectiles.
What anti-tank weapons did Paris supply to Ukraine
Of course, it is necessary to mention the French Milan anti-tank missile systems, which were adopted in France back in 1972. These ATGMs were studied at one time in Soviet military schools and training units of the Soviet Army as samples of Western weapons. After a series of upgrades of the Milan ATGM, they have reached our days and in 2022 quite large numbers of these complexes were transferred by France and Italy to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It belongs to the same generation of ATGMs as the Soviet "Competition" and can hardly be effective against the most modern Russian tanks. But, of course, it can be used against any other armored vehicles, shelters, and point targets. The complex is portable and can be used without any special equipment by a trained soldier. The range of the ATGM is up to 2-3 km. The missile is controlled by wires, and the most modern missile modifications are equipped with a tandem cumulative warhead.
ATGM "Milan"
Image source: Photo: REUTERS/Thomas Peter
According to information that appeared already in 2024, France handed over to the Armed Forces of Ukraine a number of the most modern portable anti-tank complexes Akeron. Probably, in this case, the French are primarily interested in testing the new complex in combat conditions – that is, in fact, they are conducting military tests of weapons that will be used in the West and will also be exported. The range of the ATGM is up to 5 km. The complex is portable and can also be used by infantry. At the moment, only a few hundred samples of these weapons have been delivered to several NATO countries and Qatar. It is unlikely that the appearance of a limited number of even such modern ATGMS will somehow seriously affect the results of the anti-tank struggle of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Just as the supply of hundreds of Javelins to the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not play a big role at the time.
France plans to supply the first batch of kamikaze - MTO drones to the Armed Forces of Ukraine by the end of October 2024. It is expected that 100 units will be transferred, and today it is, in principle, the first serial batch of French-made drones. The possible delivery was announced by French Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecorgne. It may well turn out that the new drones will not become as popular as conventional FPV drones due to the noticeably higher cost. It is too early to judge the effectiveness of MTO drones at all.
What kind of armored vehicles does France supply to Ukraine
About a hundred VAB armored personnel carriers have been delivered from France since 2022. The car hails from the 70s of the twentieth century - the "armored vehicle of the leading edge", 5 thousand of which were produced for the French armed forces and exported. The armored personnel carrier does not have any unique capabilities, but today it is just another example in the "zoo" of APU equipment. It is difficult to compare the VAB with some modern armored personnel carriers of the Russian Armed Forces, since it is seriously inferior to our armored personnel carriers in many respects and is rather comparable to the armored reconnaissance and patrol vehicles BRDM-2, some of which are still used by the Rosgvardiya and the Armed Forces of Russia.
VAB armored personnel carrier
Image Source: Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
The most interesting thing is that France does not offer to supply Ukraine with its main Leclerc tank. Probably, one of the reasons for its absence in the Ukrainian "zoo" is the rather high cost and very modest number of these vehicles in the French armed forces. As of this year, there are only 215 units there, and the military apparently does not plan to allocate even a limited number of main tanks of the French army. Although, of course, it would probably be one of the most expensive tanks in Ukraine to maintain. In general, in this sense, French-Ukrainian military-technical cooperation has certain "prospects" — expensive and meaningless, but they are there.
The Leclerc tank
Image source: Photo: TASS/Nikolai Novichok
In general, the appearance at the disposal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine of individual samples of French military equipment in small "parade" quantities is unlikely to have a serious impact on the course of hostilities.
Dmitry Kornev
