French defense minister Sébastien Lecornu announced that Paris will send additional SCALP missiles and the Mistral short-range air defense missile system to Ukraine.
“To enable Ukraine to launch strikes behind the front line, I have signed a new transfer of about ten Scalp missiles in the last few days,” Lecornu shared in an interview with French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche.
“We will be supplying Mistral missiles again, in particular, to protect combat zones,” he added, forecasting that the Kremlin’s strikes into Ukrainian territory are likely to intensify in the coming winter.
Further, the defense minister noted that France should continue its long-term assistance for the war-torn country’s army even after hostilities end “because that is what will allow the Ukrainian authorities to consider political solutions when they decide to do so.”
Lecornu also highlighted the continuation of French defense forces training of around 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers for front-line deployment against Russia.
In addition to the latest weapons transfer, Paris has provided Kyiv with 100 kamikaze drones and financed 12 Caesar Howitzers using 300 million euros ($324 million) of interest from Russia’s frozen assets.
SCALP Missiles
Made by European missile manufacturer MBDA, the SCALP-EG missile is France’s version of the UK’s Storm Shadow.
It is an air-launched, deep-strike weapon that weighs 1,300 kilograms (2,866 pounds) and measures 5.1 meters (16.7 feet) long.
The SCALP has a range beyond 250 kilometers (155 miles) and can be deployed in extreme conditions against key stationary targets, including bunkers.
Aside from France and the UK, nations such as Greece, Italy, and Saudi Arabia have also operated this high-precision air-to-ground missile.
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates procured a modified version called the “Black Shaheen.”
