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Emmanuel Macron announced the transfer of the Crotale air defense system to Ukraine

Emmanuel Macron announced the transfer of the Crotale air defense system to Ukraine

Air Defense France Military assistance Ukraine War with Russia

French President Emmanuel Macron reported the transfer of the previously announced Crotale air defense systems to Ukraine.

He mentioned this in an interview with French TV channels TF1 and LCI, writes France 24.

“In recent days, France has shipped to Ukraine more weapons, rocket launchers, Crotale (air defense batteries), equipment beyond what we had already done,” Macron said.

He also announced an increase in military assistance to Ukraine in 2023.

“We are also working with the armed forces minister (Sebastien Lecornu) to be able to deliver useful arms and ammunition again in the first quarter (of 2023) so that the Ukrainians would be able to defend themselves against bombardments,” the French president noted.

Macron added that planned deliveries include Caesar self-propelled guns. He did not however provide exact figures regarding the weapons that are planned to be transferred.

On the Ukrainian side, there is no information about the transfer of Crotale air defense systems to the Armed Forces.

Previously, in an interview with French TV channels TF1 and LCI, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine is negotiating the supply of Crotale and SAMP-T air defense systems.

“Currently, with the French Republic, with my counterpart Emmanuel Macron, we agreed on the Crotale systems. Thank you very much, I don’t know yet how they operate, they haven’t started working yet. We have similar examples with American partners, namely NASAMS, and with German partners, namely IRIS-T. We are aiming for systems that depend on the decision of Italy and France, specifically SAMP-T. These systems, along with other anti-aircraft systems, will also help,” Zelensky added.

ЗРК SAMP/T. Фото з відкритих джерел

Crotale

Crotale SAM is mounted on a P4R (4×4) armored wheeled chassis. The system cannot operate while in motion, but after stopping, it needs less than 5 minutes to be brought into combat-ready condition.

The R440 missile is constantly stored in the transport and launch container. The total weight of the missile is 100kg. The detachable high-explosive warhead is located in the central part of the missile hull.

Ракета R440 до ЗРК “Crotale”

The striking radius of the debris spread is 8m, and the speed of the flight reaches 2.3 km/s. It is stated that the target hit range is 500-10000 meters, and the altitude is up to 5000 meters.

Air Defense France Military assistance Ukraine War with Russia