France's first kamikaze drones to arrive in Ukraine - Defense Minister confirms
Photo: French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu (Getty Images)
In the coming weeks, France will deliver its kamikaze drones to Ukraine, marking the first such development from Paris, according to French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu and BFMTV.
"Successful testing of the first French remote-controlled munition, also known as a kamikaze drone. Regaining sovereignty over this key segment for our forces in less than two years," the minister stated, showing footage of the new drone.
Succès des essais de la première munition télé opérée - aussi appelée drone kamikaze - française.
— Sébastien Lecornu (@SebLecornu) October 16, 2024
Reconquête de souveraineté sur ce segment clé pour nos armées, en moins de deux ans.
Livraisons à l'Ukraine et à nos forces dans les prochaines semaines. pic.twitter.com/QfewB0gIAm
"Deliveries to Ukraine and our forces will begin in the coming weeks," Lecornu added.
Background
In March of last year, the French Ministry of Armed Forces announced the order of 2,000 French-developed drones, with the first 100 designated for Ukraine.
"Kamikaze drones are absolutely fundamental for conducting operations and can complement the Caesar gun in terms of artillery," Lecornu said at the time.
According to BFMTV, the first 100 drones intended for Kyiv were to be ordered from a consortium that includes drone manufacturer Delair and Nexter, with delivery initially planned for last summer.
It was recently reported that Ukraine is ready to help France establish a training center for drone operators, which would be a step in sharing expertise in the drone sector.
