In addition to protective equipment, Paris provided Kiev “a few dozen” of these weapons, used by infantry troops against tanks and armored vehicles.
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Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, France, which unreservedly condemned Russian aggression, is on the other hand, remained very discreet on its arms deliveries in Ukrainians. The Head of State and the Government – including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian, on March 6 – swear they limited to “defensive equipment and fuel support”.
Between 25 and 28 February, Paris, like other European capitals, has indeed provided protective equipment, helmets and bulletproots vests. But since then France delivers, according to our information, Milan anti-tank missiles to Ukrainian fighters. Taken from the stocks of the French army, the quantity seems, for the time being, to have remained modest – “a few tens”, between the 28th of February and March 3, according to a diplomatic source.
This material was delivered to the Ukrainian army at the Polish border. The first material transfer operations have been supervised, French side, by members of the special forces attached to the command of the special operations, placed under the orders of the Chief of the Armed Force and under the authority of the President of the Republic , Emmanuel Macron.
France is not the only one to provide Milan missiles to Ukrainian soldiers. On February 28, Italy officially stated that they decided to deliver the same material among other weapons. All NATO European nations are equipped with this type of Franco-German manufacturing armor and these are in stockcraft purchased from the French. In addition to Italy and Germany, there are other customers, such as Spain or the United Kingdom.
Precise and powerful missile
Milan is a very precise and powerful weapon, adapted to the fight against tanks, armored vehicles and buildings. It is a lightweight mismatile-soil very appreciated by infantry troops, able to shoot day and night with an infrared system. Milan 2, which would be the version given by the Italians to the Ukrainians, can reach targets at 2,500 meters thanks to a semi-automatic guidance system, says “filoguid”. This missile can be embedded on a vehicle and fixed on a claw or landed, on foot, and used thanks to a shooting station installed on a tripod.
This is the big difference of the missile compared to a rocket launcher without technology, whose launcher tube is thrown after each use and which does not have its precision or power. Finally, when an antichar rocket is worth about 800 euros, it will be necessary to pay between 5,000 and 6,000 euros for a Milan. For the latter, it is also necessary to take into account the cost of a shooting position, estimated between 23,000 and 24,000 euros. We do not know how many of these positions have been delivered to Ukraine. In France, for an infantry section with this type of armament, you have to count two.
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