Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, France, which has unequivocally condemned Russian aggression, on the other hand, has been very cautious about arms supplies to Ukrainians. The head of state and government, including Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, vowed on March 6 that they limited themselves to “defensive equipment and fuel support.”
Between February 25 and 28, Paris, like other European capitals, provided protective equipment, helmets and body armor. But since then, France has been supplying, according to our information, Milan anti-tank missiles to Ukrainian fighters. The number taken from French army stockpiles appears to have remained modest for the time being – “several dozen” between February 28 and March 3, according to a diplomatic source.
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This material was handed over to the Ukrainian army on the Polish border. The first operations to transfer equipment were controlled from the French side by members of the special forces attached to the command of special operations, subordinate to the chief of the defense staff and subordinate to the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron. .
Not only France supplies Milan missiles to Ukrainian soldiers. On February 28, Italy officially indicated that it had decided to supply them with the same equipment, among other weapons. All European NATO countries are equipped with this type of Franco-German anti-tank weapons and are actually taken from stocks purchased from the French. In addition to Italy and Germany, there are other customers, such as Spain or the UK.
Accurate and powerful rocket
Milan is a very accurate and powerful weapon, suitable for fighting tanks, armored vehicles and buildings. It is a light surface-to-surface missile very popular with infantry troops, capable of firing day and night thanks to its infrared system. The Milan 2, the version the Italians gave to the Ukrainians, can hit targets at 2,500 meters thanks to a semi-automatic guidance system called “wire guidance.” This missile can be mounted on a vehicle and mounted on a claw, or landed on foot and used thanks to a tripod-mounted firing station.
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This is the great difference between a missile and a rocket launcher without technology, whose launch tube is ejected after each use and which has neither its accuracy nor its power. Finally, when an anti-tank missile costs about 800 euros, Milan will have to pay between 5,000 and 6,000 euros. For the latter, we must also take into account the cost of the shooting station, which is estimated between 23,000 and 24,000 euros. It is not known how many such sets were delivered to Ukraine. In France, two are required per infantry section equipped with this type of weapon.
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