France plans to produce 1,200 AASM Hammer guided aerial bombs in 2025. This is almost twice as much as last year. Official Paris provides such weapons to Ukraine as part of defense assistance. This is reported by Le Parisien, reports UNN.
Details
It is noted that the modular air-to-surface weapon is the "new favorite of Ukrainian combat aircraft", and since the beginning of Russia's large-scale invasion, the production of AASM in France "in the direction of the front has increased fourfold".
But this is not the end. After 830 units were manufactured in 2024, 1,200 are already planned for 2025
The developer of these modular aerial bombs is the French company Safran. In general, this large industrial and technological group is engaged in the development and production of aircraft engines, helicopters and missiles, and aviation equipment.
According to Le Parisien, AASM (Armement Air-Sol Modulaire) consists of navigation and jet modules that are installed on classic aerial bombs. This system turns a conventional warhead into a high-precision weapon capable of hitting moving and stationary targets even under active GPS jamming, which is especially important in the war with Russia.
The inertial unit uses physical properties found in the gyroscope. Using cross-measurements of angle and acceleration, it restores the position and speed of weapon systems and orients them in space
In other words, these two guidance and propulsion kits make the bomb system invulnerable to enemy interference, while guaranteeing its navigation to the desired target.
According to Franck Saudo, President of Safran Electronics and Defense, AASM allows simultaneous engagement of multiple targets at any altitude, and the warhead can weigh from 250 to 1000 kg. The French Ministry of Defense emphasizes that the system is suitable for both high-precision strikes and massive air strikes.
The French government asked Safran to integrate anti-aircraft missile systems (SAMs) on Ukrainian fighters after American JDAM GPS-guided munitions began to miss targets. According to Safran, this was done "in less than four months in the fall of 2023", which allowed "to process targets with excellent accuracy"
Initially, these bombs were part of the armament of French Rafale fighters, but after the American JDAMs proved to be insufficiently effective on the front, Paris ordered the adaptation of AASM for Ukrainian MiGs and Sus. This modernization was completed in less than four months in the fall of 2023.
The supply of AASM is currently taking place at a rate of about 50 units per month, and, according to the French press, the demand from Kyiv is only growing. The American military has already called AASM a "miracle weapon" that meets Ukrainian needs in modern warfare.
Let us remind you
In January 2024, French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu stated that France would supply Ukraine with about 50 AASM Hammer (A2SM) guided aerial bombs every month.