France to integrate AASM Hammer bombs on F-16s for delivery to Ukrainian Armed Forces
France has intensified work on the integration of AASM Hammer guided bombs into F-16 aircraft to be delivered to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This is confirmed by a statement by Thomas Gasilloud, a member of the French parliament and chairman of the Defense and Armed Forces Commission.
This integration may seem unexpected, given the widespread belief that Western weapons are absolutely compatible with NATO aircraft. However, even alliance aircraft may have problems adapting their weapons. In particular, the software may require additional “adjustment” to certain types of weapons.
“It is not a demand of the Ukrainians to have this source of information in place. Aujourd’hui, la priorité, c’est d’aider l’Ukraine à se défendre avec du soutien matériel.”
Thomas Gassilloud, président de la Commission de defense et des forces armées pic.twitter.com/1KE6K6HKry
– LCI (@LCI) May 3, 2024
France’s decision to integrate the AASM Hammer into F-16s for the Ukrainian Armed Forces may be linked to plans to supply guided bombs to Ukraine. Paris has announced its intention to send at least 600 units of such munitions to Kyiv annually, which may require expanding the fleet of carrier aircraft.
Thus, integration into the F-16 may be part of a strategy to provide the Ukrainian Armed Forces with the necessary amount of modern weapons for the long term, experts say.
