PARIS (AP) – French manufacturers are planning to supply some weapons to Ukraine as France increasingly shifts away from its previous policy of spending on its own munitions to support the war effort against Russia. Reduced system manufacturing time by more than half. The French defense minister said in an interview published Thursday that there had been an invasion.
“The logic of transferring military stockpiles is coming to an end,” Minister Sébastien Lecornu said in an interview with Le Parisien. “The future solution is to directly connect the French defense industry with the Ukrainian military.”
He cited the Caesar self-propelled 155mm howitzer, manufactured by France's Nexstar, as an example of how French defense contractors are adapting their war bases. Caesar is one of a series of Western-supplied artillery systems that, especially when combined with high-precision ammunition, gave Ukrainian artillery an advantage over Russian artillery companies using older Soviet-designed systems. Brought.
At Nexter, it used to take 30 months to make one Caesar, but now it takes half that time, Lecorne said. The goal this year is to produce 78 Caesars, and Ukraine intends to pay for six of them domestically, he said. He added that France also plans to help finance the Caesar delivery and hopes that other countries supporting Ukraine will also provide funding.
Britain warns Western countries are running out of weapons to give to Ukrainehttps://t.co/cO1fETsRAa
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) October 4, 2023
Ammunition production has also been stepped up. Starting at the end of this month, France will supply Ukraine with 3,000 155mm shells per month, up from 1,000 in April 2023, Lecorne said. Thales currently takes six months to deliver one of its GM200 radars for Ukraine's air defense, compared to 18 months, and the production time for MBDA's Mistral short-range air defense missiles has also been significantly reduced, he said. Stated. He said.
After Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, France was one of the countries that quickly released weapons from its arsenal to help strengthen Ukraine's defenses. Like Caesars, France provides light tanks, long-range cruise missiles, air defense systems, and other hardware, support and military training. In total, French aid is estimated to be worth billions of euros (dollars).
Further deliveries are promised. French President Emmanuel Macron this week announced plans to supply around 40 additional long-range Storm Shadow missiles and “hundreds of bombs.” He also announced his intention to visit Ukraine again next month, saying he “cannot let Russia win.”
But as Russia ramps up preparations for a protracted war, fears of depleting its own defense capabilities have prompted France and other Ukraine backers to continue supplying Kiev's defense needs in the long term. I'm looking for another way.
“At this stage of the war, military aid to Kiev requires patience,” Lecorne said. “Russia is betting that time will be on its side.”
He said Russia, Iran and North Korea were scrutinizing the mettle of Ukraine's partners.
“Our ability to demonstrate staying power and reliability has drawn attention in Moscow and even in Pyongyang and Tehran,” he said.
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace: Ukraine is a 'combat laboratory' testing lethal weapons for future warshttps://t.co/NKgteCk0XH
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) July 18, 2023
