The Crotale anti-aircraft missile batteries that France is proposing to provide to Ukraine “will be especially effective in the fight against drones and aerial bombardments,” according to French Defense Minister Lecornu.
In order to help shield Ukrainian cities from Russian missile and drone attacks, the French government promised to supply Crotale air defence systems on October 16. A comprehensive training programme for Ukrainian military is running concurrently with that. Paris made the commitment in an effort to allay concerns that the administration of French President Emmanuel Macron was falling behind in delivering military assistance to Ukraine in its confrontation with Russia.
The Crotale anti-aircraft missile batteries that France is getting ready to provide to Ukraine, according to French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu, “will be especially beneficial in the fight against drones and against the aerial bombardment.”
The official claims that France has 12 Crotale batteries. The shipment “will be very crucial to assist them safeguard the sky,” he said, without elaborating on how many batteries will be sent to Ukraine.
According to the French minister, the intention behind transporting the Crotale anti-aircraft missiles is to give Ukraine two months to train with them before deploying them.
France has so far sent 18 Caesar cannons and is negotiating to provide six more. Lecornu claimed that France is also looking into the request for surface-to-surface missiles from Ukraine.
Thomson CSF Matra created the Crotale short-range surface-to-air missile system for the French military, which was introduced to service in 1971. The system’s purpose in design is to intercept and destroy. aircraft, assault helicopters, cruise missiles, and tactical missiles are examples of aerial threats.
Crotale is about 15 tonnes in weight, 6.22 metres long, 2.72 metres wide, and 3.05 metres tall. The missile’s commander, driver, and controlling soldier make up the crew of three.
This missile battery consists of two parts: a vehicle with 2–8 launchers, a vehicle with a surveillance radar, and a vehicle with an aiming radar situated between the launchers. This radar can track 12 targets at once while concurrently detecting 30 targets at a distance of up to 20 km.
4 surface-to-air missiles with a combined weight of 84.5 kg, a 3 m length, and a 55 mm diameter will be mounted on each Crotale vehicle. Solid fuel is used to propel the bullets of crotale missiles, which have a range of 11 km and a top speed of 2.3 Mach (or roughly 2,800 km/h).
Up to 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers will rotate into army units in France for several weeks of combat training, followed by more intensive training for post-combat needs and other requirements, as well as training on equipment provided by France, according to Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu, who was quoted in Le Parisien.
We take note of the fact that the battle will continue, Minister Lecornu was cited in the newspaper as saying. To fill the gap, a fresh batch of soldiers must be trained.
Prior to it, France taught Ukrainian artillery on how to operate Caesar self-propelled artillery that was provided by its nation.
The considerable training that France is offering, according to Minister Lecornu, is “a really crucial step.” The scale is being altered. A 100 million euro ($97 million) fund that “may be used by Ukrainians to buy what they wish, providing the source is French” has also been established by France.
A French company that will supply the pontoon bridge is one of the first recipients of Ukraine’s instructions to use the financing, Lecornu disclosed.
The removal of France’s arsenal from Ukraine has also brought attention to France’s own military requirements.
Lecornu claimed that the more advanced Mamba air defence system, which is anticipated to be a component of the security shield for the 2024 Paris Olympics, is replacing the Crotale batteries for Ukraine.
According to the minister, France has also requested more Caesar artillery to replace the artillery that was supplied to Ukraine.
At 44 billion euros ($42.8 billion), France’s defence expenditure for 2023 will be at its highest level since World War Two. According to minister Lecornu, this is a significant increase from the 32.3 billion euros in 2017, when Mr. Macron won his first term.
