Ukraine and France have announced a key step towards the largest modernisation of the Ukrainian Air Force to date. As reported by AFP after a meeting between Presidents Volodymyr Zelensky and Emmanuel Macron at Villacoublay airbase, Ukraine declared its intention to buy up to 100 Rafale multi-role fighter jets. According to the Elysee Palace, this is a historic agreement that is set to fundamentally change the future of the Ukrainian air force.
The AP also reported that the plan is real. According to it, Zelensky confirmed after the signing that the document envisages not only aircraft, but also armaments and other modern technologies, with deliveries to take place over about ten years. Reuters added that the planes are to be new and manufactured directly by Dassault Aviation, not taken over from the French military.
Zelensky described the signing of the document as a „great historic moment“, as broadcast by the French station TF1 Info. He stressed that the Rafale fighters represent not only a major modernisation step, but also a clear signal that Ukraine „she is not alone in her defence“. According to him, the first machines should arrive by 2035. Macron commented that France and Ukraine are moving into „new stages“ cooperation in the defence industry, France 24 reported.
In addition to fighters, France will also provide immediate support in the form of drone deliveries, including so-called „anti-drone“ systems designed to destroy enemy unmanned aerial vehicles, and precision-guided munitions. A new SAMP-T air defence system, a European alternative to the US Patriot, is also set to follow in the coming years, Le Monde reported. The package also includes the delivery of 55 locomotives from Alstom, which, according to the French press, shows that the partnership is not purely military.
According to French experts cited by Defense News, the main challenge will be Dassault's production capacity. The production of 100 new aircraft for a single customer is ambitious and will take several years. Equally challenging will be the training of Ukrainian pilots, the scale of which has been reported, for example, by the UK's BBC, adding that the transition to French technology requires long-term programmes.
The financing of the entire project is not yet fully clarified. As The Guardian pointed out, France is counting on the fact that part of the costs could be covered by EU funds earmarked for defence aid to Ukraine. In this context, Macron also mentioned the possibility of using the proceeds from frozen Russian assets if EU states agree on this step.
The news comes shortly after Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced that Ukraine has signed a preliminary agreement to buy 100 to 150 JAS-39 Gripen aircraft. According to Reuters, this is again a framework declaration to be worked out in the coming months. Kiev is thus indicating that it wants to build up an air force that will become one of the most advanced in Europe after the war.
If the agreement with France is implemented, Ukraine will become the largest foreign user of Rafale fighters. At the same time, according to the AP, it will send a clear political signal to Russia: that Europe is committed to long-term support for Ukraine, not just to addressing the immediate needs of the war.
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