France intends to grant Ukraine a license to produce SCALP cruise missiles. French President Emmanuel Macron said this after the “coalition of the willing” summit in Paris, according to the Ukrainian outlet Liga.net.
Macron said that, in addition to SCALP, Ukraine would receive licenses to manufacture AASM guided aerial munitions and Aster interceptor missiles for the Franco-Italian SAMP/T air defense systems.
The French president also said Ukraine plans to purchase 16 Rafale fighter jets. According to Macron, those aircraft are expected to begin carrying out missions in Ukrainian airspace in 2028–2029.
On July 13, the Paris summit also announced the creation of a missile defense coalition. According to the source, it includes Ukraine and nine other European countries, among them Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.
Within that coalition, an integrated defense architecture is to be created to deter future missile threats.
As the report notes, last week at the NATO summit, U.S. President Donald Trump promised to provide Ukraine with a license to produce missiles for Patriot systems. Those missiles are considered critically important for Ukraine’s air defense, although experts say it is unlikely that mass production in Ukraine could be launched quickly.