France successfully tested its first "kamikaze" drones and will deliver them to Ukraine "in the coming weeks," French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Oct. 16.
"Tests of France's first remotely operated munition – also called kamikaze drones" had been a "success," Lecornu said.
Drones are an increasingly vital capability in Ukrainian battlefields. Russia has widely used kamikaze drones like Iranian Shaheds to target Ukrainian cities and infrastructure or domestically-made Lancets against Kyiv's troops.
With the rising importance of unmanned systems on modern battlefields, Lecornu said earlier this year that the French military would order 2,000 kamikaze drones. The first 100 will be sent to Ukraine.
The Colibri loitering ammunition has been under development by France's Delair and KNDS since last year. The Calibri project was launched to develop a system with a radius of 5 kilometers at a cost of less than 20,000 euros ($22,000) per unit.
The drones should be delivered to Ukraine in 2024-2025. Delair has previously provided Ukraine with 100 UX-11 reconnaissance drones and 50 larger DT-26 drones.
"Kamikaze drones are absolutely fundamental" and will be able to "complement Caesar howitzers," the minister said, referring to the advanced artillery systems France has supplied to Ukraine.
Since the start of the full-scale war in 2022, France has allocated roughly $3.5 billion in military aid to Ukraine, including Caesar howitzers and AMX-10 armored vehicles. Paris also pledged to provide its Mirage 2000 jets next year.
Francis Farrell
