France sharply increases bomb and drone stockpiles after lessons from the war in Ukraine
Kyiv • UNN
France will update its military planning by 2030 with a focus on AASM air-to-ground bombs and drones. An additional 8.5 billion euros will be allocated for ammunition and missiles.
France plans to increase its stockpiles of AASM HAMMER aerial bombs by 240% and kamikaze drones by 400% by 2030, taking into account the experience of modern warfare, particularly the effectiveness of such weapons on the front lines in Ukraine. This was reported by Politico with reference to the French Ministry of Defense, writes UNN.
Details
The new targets are laid out in the updated draft of the French military planning law. The document provides for an additional 8.5 billion euros for ammunition, missiles, and other weapon stockpiles. France also wants to increase its reserves of Aster and MICA anti-aircraft missiles by approximately 30%.
The decision is being made against the backdrop of a re-evaluation of army needs after the Russian-Ukrainian war, which showed how quickly precision munitions, missiles, and drones are expended in a major war. The French Ministry of Defense previously directly acknowledged that the army is adapting to "high-intensity warfare" and is also transitioning to a "war economy" model, where the key task is to produce more and faster.
France is betting on weapons already actively used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Paris is placing particular emphasis on those types of weapons that have already proven effective in the war against Russia. In particular, Ukrainian aviation actively uses French AASM HAMMER guided bombs to strike Russian positions, and drones have become one of the main tools of the modern battlefield.
The French Ministry of Defense explicitly states in its materials that the massive use of drones in Ukraine has become one of the key lessons of the war. They note that drones are now a central element of modern combat operations, and the French army is already restructuring its procurement and training based on Ukrainian experience.
France's defense budget will increase every year
The project also envisages a further increase in France's defense budget: to 63.3 billion euros in 2027, 68.3 billion in 2028, 72.8 billion in 2029, and 76.3 billion in 2030.
In addition to ammunition and drones, France plans to begin research on a future replacement for the Leclerc tank. This is due to the fact that the joint Franco-German MGCS tank project is not expected until the 2040s, and the army already wants to bridge the interim period with new solutions.