France Will Provide Ukraine with Licenses to Manufacture Aster 30 and SCALP Missiles and Hammer Bombs

France will grant Ukraine licenses to manufacture Aster 30 anti-aircraft missiles for the SAMP/T air defense system, AASM Hammer air-to-ground bombs, and SCALP cruise missiles.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced this during a press conference following a meeting of the “Coalition of the Willing” in Paris.

“Radar systems are also being transferred, along with additional missiles. And we have agreed on licensing deals for new capabilities—the AASM, Aster 30, and SCALP—which will allow us to develop these capabilities much more quickly with our Ukrainian partners and on Ukrainian soil,” he said.

Macron added that Ukraine has urgent needs, particularly in the area of anti-ballistic defense. That is why countries have joined together in the Anti-Ballistic Coalition, which is intended to accelerate the development of air and missile defense systems.

This coalition includes Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.

It was also recently reported that the governments of these countries held talks regarding the localization of SCALP missiles in Ukraine.

Aster 30

Ukraine has long been using ASTER 30 missiles as part of the SAMP/T air defense missile systems provided by France and Italy. The modern ASTER 30 Block 1 version is capable of intercepting aerodynamic targets—aircraft, cruise missiles, and drones—at ranges of up to 120 km and altitudes of up to 25 km.

In addition, it can destroy operational-tactical ballistic missiles by intercepting them at ranges of up to 30 km.

One of the key features of the ASTER 30 is the PIF-PAF guidance system, which uses gas-dynamic engines to perform extremely sharp maneuvers during the terminal phase of flight.

This allows the missile to effectively engage even highly maneuverable targets and ballistic missile warheads traveling at very high speeds.

The missile is equipped with an active radar homing seeker, which enables autonomous target acquisition during the final phase of flight, and its speed exceeds Mach 4.5 (over 5,500 km/h).

AASM Hammer

French AASM precision-guided air bombs, like the American JDAMs, are designed to upgrade conventional Western-style free-fall bombs, transforming them into precision-guided weapons.

However, unlike the JDAM, the French kits are distinguished by their built-in rocket motor, which significantly increases their range. Depending on the conditions of use, the AASM is capable of striking targets at distances of up to 15 km when dropped from low altitudes and up to 70 km from high altitudes.

There are two main versions: the Hammer-250, designed for 227-kilogram Mk.82 bombs, and the Hammer-1000, designed for 908-kilogram Mk.84 bombs.

AASM kits can be equipped with various types of guidance systems, including inertial, GPS, laser, or infrared.

SCALP

The Franco-British Storm Shadow/SCALP EG is a high-precision, long-range air-to-surface cruise missile. It is designed to penetrate air defense systems and strike critical fixed targets, including command posts, warehouses, bridges, and fortified bunkers.

The missile is 5.1 meters long, has a launch weight of approximately 1,300 kilograms, and is equipped with a 450-kilogram warhead. The missile was developed by the French company Matra and the British company British Aerospace from the second half of the 1990s through the early 2000s. Currently, it is manufactured by the European defense consortium MBDA.

In 2003, the Storm Shadow/SCALP EG was adopted by France and the United Kingdom. Subsequently, these missiles were also adopted by a number of other countries.

The French version of the SCALP EG and the British Storm Shadow are generally identical. The main differences between them lie in the software and integration with various carrier aircraft.