The head of the French Ministry of Defense announced the transfer of Aster 30 anti-aircraft missiles to SAMP/T air defense systems and hundreds of armored vehicles to Ukraine.
What is known about France's new military aid to Ukraine
It is noted that Ukraine should receive mainly VAB armored vehicles.
At the same time, Aster 30 missiles are actually the only analog of ammunition for SAMP/T air defense.
They are also often called the European analogue of the American "Patriot".
This weapon can hit aerodynamic targets at a distance of 120 km or ballistic targets up to 60 km.
Currently, the French military industry is working to reduce the production cycle from 40 to 18 months.
In addition, France and Italy plan to jointly produce 700 anti-aircraft missiles of the Aster family over the next few years.
Supplying these missiles will help protect Ukrainian infrastructure.
It is likely that Ukraine will also be able to get AMX-10 "wheeled tanks" again. Paris is gradually disarming them, and therefore they are not so necessary there.
How VAB armored personnel carriers can help the Ukrainian military
According to the military-political analyst Oleksandr Kovalenko, the French VAB APCs are considered obsolete, because they began to be produced in 1976, but they will be able to compete with the Soviet BRDM-2 used by the occupation army of the Russian Federation.
The VAB is inferior to the BRDM-2 only in fire potential, namely the 12.7-mm M2 HB Browning against the 14.5-mm KPVT. Only Browning has much higher accuracy and efficiency, Kovalenko explains.
The analyst notes that in terms of speed, engine power, ability to overcome water obstacles, range and other characteristics, the VAB is superior to the BRDM-2.
However, Kovalenko emphasized that French armored personnel carriers need additional protection, in particular, anti-cumulative gratings and other equipment.
The expert noted that, in general, France has about 2,500 such armored vehicles.
