France has given the blueprints for its Scalp-EG cruise missile to Ukraine as part of a defence deal.
The pact grants Kyiv the right to produce the weapon – essentially the same low-observable cruise missile as the British Storm Shadow – at factories in the war-torn country.
It also paves the way for Ukrainian arms manufacturers to build Aster air-defence missiles and Armement Air-Sol Modulaire (AASM) precision-guided air-to-ground bombs.
The deal includes an order for 16 new French-made Rafale fighter jets and four Samp/t surface-to-air batteries, making Ukraine the first country to deploy the Franco-Italian system in combat.
France and Italy also authorised licensed production in Ukraine of Aster 30 interceptor missiles.
Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, who was in Paris to sign the agreement, said it “reflects France’s true leadership in defence cooperation with Ukraine, in the interest of all of Europe”.