France to acquire 2 000 loitering munitions and further support Ukraine.

The French Ministry of the Armed Forces is about to finalize an order for 2,000 loitering munitions, signaling a certain confidence in locally produced armaments, as this order will be placed with French industrialists. This order also includes the acquisition of 100 MTO developed by the companies Nexter and Delair for the benefit of the Ukrainian armed forces, marking a first of its kind. 1,000 of the Colibri loitering munitions will be given to Ukraine.
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The French Ministry of the Armed Forces is about to finalize an order for 2,000 loitering munitions. (Picture source: MBDA)

The acquisition process, initiated last year, is now entering a crucial phase with the opening of a call for tenders to the French industry. National companies have fifteen days to submit their proposals. This initiative aims to equip France with its first sovereign loitering munitions, with contracting expected soon.

The announcement was made by Sébastien Lecornu, the Minister of the Armed Forces, during a visit to Delair, a drone manufacturer based in Toulouse. He emphasized the importance of this investment, which reflects confidence in local innovations and promises to increase the sector's visibility. The munitions, intended to meet the needs of the French army and Ukraine, focus on short-range capabilities.

The Colibri project, launched by the General Directorate for Armament (DGA) and the Defense Innovation Agency (AID), played a decisive role in this advancement. It resulted in the selection of two consortia, Delair/Nexter and Novadem/MBDA, to develop an MTO capable of reaching a range of at least 5 km and an autonomy of 30 minutes.

Although the total budget remains confidential, the goal was to keep the unit cost below 20,000 euros, a threshold that could be reduced given the volume of the order and its impact. The interest in this type of munition lies precisely in the cost of production/destruction potential ratio, so it is important to reduce the manufacturing cost of the product as much as possible.

The delivery of these 2,000 munitions is scheduled for 2024 and 2025. Moreover, the order of 100 MTO from Delair and Nexter for Ukraine is based on the modified use of the UX11 drone platform, capable of carrying a military charge. Tests with inert loads are imminent, in anticipation of a delivery this summer.

This initiative underscores France's commitment to support Ukraine, which is facing a severe shortage of munitions, and illustrates the importance of feedback for French actors. But it also demonstrates the support the French state shows towards its defense industry. Ukraine, which already uses the UX11 drone, will soon benefit from a new delivery, thus strengthening the partnership between the two nations.