A visit that will have paid off. Last Thursday, September 28, Sébastien Lecornu landed in kyiv to attend the first defense industries forum organized in the Ukrainian capital, accompanied by around twenty French industrialists. The stated objective was then to discuss the future of French military aid to Ukraine, and in particular to present France’s desire to move from a logic of selling equipment to a logic of acquisitions from companies in France, considered more sustainable for the Ukrainian army but also for the French army.
“We know, this war will last. As it will last […]”, we must ensure that tomorrow, we continue to be reliable in our aid to Ukraine”, said the Minister of the Armed Forces. He seems to have been heard.
Contracts to supply weapons
Several French industrialists have concluded contracts to supply weapons to Ukraine, said AFP this Monday, October 2. Starting with Nexter, the French branch of the Franco-German group KNDS, which will supply six additional Caesar cannons to kyiv, according to the Ministry of the Armed Forces. These will be added to the 30 Caesars already supplied by France to Ukraine, and the 19 examples of an eight-wheeled armored version by Denmark, according to Nexter.
No information on contract financing
In addition to the Caesar cannons, very often highlighted when French military aid to Ukraine is discussed, several contracts for other equipment have been signed. CEFA, an Alsatian SME, will thus supply eight heavy SDZ mine clearance robots, as well as eight amphibious vehicles allowing water crossings. These 25 meter self-propelled platforms, equipped with inflatable tubes, can each support a heavy tank. They can either be used as a ferry to cross a river, or be assembled to form a bridge.
The company Delair, which had already concluded a contract this summer to supply 150 observation drones, has placed an order with the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense to deliver an unspecified number of additional drones. Thales and Turgis & Gaillard have each signed an agreement with Ukrainian companies to co-develop drones, while the company Vistory will install a 3D printing center in Ukraine to produce spare parts.
In total, 15 contracts were signed between French manufacturers and Kiev on the occasion of this first edition of the defense industries forum, to which must be added a cooperation agreement between the Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) French and its Ukrainian counterpart, signed on the sidelines of Sébastien Lecornu’s visit.
However, no information has yet been disclosed regarding the method of financing these contracts. When he came to kyiv last Thursday, the Minister of the Armed Forces did not rule out the possibility of French subsidies being able to finance certain contracts.