France to send kamikaze drones to Ukraine following successful tests

On October 16, French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced that France has successfully tested its inaugural kamikaze drones and plans to deliver them to Ukraine in the coming weeks.

Lecornu stated the tests of France's first remotely operated munitions, also known as kamikaze drones, have been deemed a success, Caliber.Az reports via Ukrainian media.

Drones are becoming an increasingly crucial asset on Ukrainian battlefields, particularly as Russia has extensively deployed kamikaze drones, such as Iranian Shahed models, to target Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, along with domestically produced Lancet drones against Ukrainian forces.

Notably, with the growing significance of unmanned systems in contemporary warfare, Lecornu revealed earlier this year that the French military intends to order 2,000 kamikaze drones, with the first 100 earmarked for Ukraine. The Colibri loitering munition has been under development by France's Delair and KNDS defence companies since last year. The project aims to create a system with a range of 5 kilometres, costing less than €20,000 per unit.

The drones are expected to be delivered to Ukraine between 2024 and 2025. Delair has previously supplied Ukraine with 100 UX-11 reconnaissance drones and 50 larger DT-26 drones.

"Kamikaze drones are absolutely fundamental," Lecornu emphasised, stating they will significantly complement the Caesar howitzers, the advanced artillery systems France has provided to Ukraine.

Since the onset of the full-scale conflict in 2022, France has committed approximately $3.5 billion in military aid to Ukraine, including Caesar howitzers and AMX-10 armoured vehicles.

Paris has also pledged to deliver its Mirage 2000 jets next year.

By Aghakazim Guliyev