Ukraine to Receive 40 SCALP Missiles, Hundreds of Bombs from France

French President Emmanuel Macron announced during a press conference Tuesday that France would provide Ukraine with approximately 40 additional Scalp-EG cruise missiles and hundreds of bombs in the coming weeks.

Macron emphasized that the French defense industry is actively engaged in a "war economy" to ramp up the production and supply of critical equipment, particularly 155mm Caesar howitzers.

The SCALP-EG/Storm Shadow cruise missile, jointly developed by Matra and British Aerospace in the 1990s and currently produced by the European missile manufacturer MBDA, has a striking range of up to 560 kilometers (350 miles).

In the summer of 2023, France and the United Kingdom provided Ukraine with cruise missiles, subsequently employed to target key sites. These include the Chonhar bridge linking Crimea with Russian-held areas in the southern Kherson region and the Sevastopol port, resulting in damage to multiple warships.

Addressing international concerns over the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, Macron asserted that it poses the most significant risk to the security of Europe. He revealed that France is in the final stages of negotiating a bilateral security agreement with Ukraine, similar to the one recently concluded by the United Kingdom.

"We will basically continue to help Ukraine in its needs – for training, to hold on to the front, and to defend its skies. With the deliveries I mentioned, with the agreements we’re finalizing," Macron stated during the press conference.

France is also expected to provide "hundreds" of AASM or HAMMER systems, developed by Safran Electronics & Defense. These modular air-ground armaments can convert conventional bombs (250 to 1,000 kilograms or 551 to 2,205 pounds) into guided projectiles, offering a range of up to 70 kilometers (about 43 miles).

French Commitment Echoes UK-Ukraine Security Pact

The commitment from France follows the recent security cooperation agreement signed between U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on January 12. The U.K. pledged to consult with Ukraine in the event of a Russian attack and provide "swift and sustained" assistance for defense, allocating a military funding of £2.5 billion ($3.2 billion) for Ukraine in the 2024-2025 financial year.

Macron disclosed plans for a visit to Ukraine in February, coinciding with the commencement of munitions deliveries. He assured that France would be transferring equipment "almost in real time" with official announcements.

French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecorne is expected to host his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov in France on Thursday, with visits to key sites such as the KNDS facility in Bourges, where the truck-mounted Caesar howitzer is produced, and MBDA's Scalp missile production site in Selles-Saint-Denis.

Despite France ranking behind Germany and the U.K. in terms of the value of military aid provided to Ukraine between January 2022 and October 2023, Macron emphasized that the equipment supplied by France enhances Ukraine's long-range fire capabilities.