To support the counter-offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces: France to provide Ukraine with long-range missiles
France has decided to provide Ukraine with long-range missiles to support the counter-offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
This was announced by French President Emmanuel Macron during the NATO summit in Vilnius on Tuesday, 11 July.
According to him, this will help support the Ukrainian Armed Forces in their counter-offensive.
Macron did not specify what kind of missiles he was talking about, but it is known that Paris is armed with SCALP-EG cruise missiles.
In May, it was reported that France was studying the possibility of supplying Ukraine with long-range SCALP missiles. These missiles are considered an analogue of the British Storm Shadow missiles.
What is known about SCALP missiles?
This is an air-to-surface guided missile designed to engage stationary targets at long range.
It was developed in the 1990s by the French company Matra and the British company British Aerospace. SCALP is an acronym for Long Range Autonomous Conventional Cruise System.
Its range is officially 250 km, but it can reach 500 km or even 700 km, depending on the version. It allows to hit strategic targets located in the rear of hostilities, such as command centres, ammunition depots or logistics hubs.
