Ukrainian aviation modernized for French aerial bombs, Armed Forces Minister says
Ukrainian MiG-29 and Su-24M aircraft upgraded for French air bombs (Photo: armyinform)
France has invested money and upgraded Ukrainian MiG-29 and Su-24M aircraft so that they can use air bombs supplied by Paris to Kyiv, says French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu.
"We considered it preferable to invest money and engineering resources in adapting AASM bombs to Soviet aircraft such as the Su-24 and MiG-29, which are already in Ukraine, instead of focusing exclusively on the Mirage," Lecornu explains.
At the same time, the minister says that President Emmanuel Macron has always said that there is no taboo on supplying Mirage aircraft to Ukraine.
"Every time I try to make proposals that, expressed in poor French, 'change the rules of the game' in the military sphere. Fifty A2SM bombs, supplied monthly and now compatible with Soviet-class aircraft, this time 'change the rules of the game,'" he says.
What is known about these aerial bombs
France has two types of Hammer aerial bombs, the Hammer 250 and Hammer 1000. The first is based on the Mk 82 bomb, and the second on the BLU109 or Mk 84.
In both variants, the bombs are equipped with tail and nose sections with electronics that increase range and accuracy thanks to INS, GPS, GPS Laser, or GPS IR guidance systems.
France's assistance to Ukraine
In early February, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said that the country intended not only to increase funding for assistance to Ukraine but also to expand the range of arms provided.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also announced that Ukraine would receive a new package of military assistance from France, which would include Caesar artillery installations.
Now the French government is seeking funds to finance a €3 billion package of military aid to Ukraine after significant cuts in the country's spending.
