A MAJOR SHIFT: UKRAINE TO PRODUCE FRENCH MISSILES ON ITS OWN SOIL
French President Emmanuel Macron announced that Ukraine has received licenses to produce some of France’s most advanced weapons, including Aster-30 missiles for the SAMP/T air defense system, AASM Hammer precision-guided bombs, and SCALP long-range cruise missiles.
Macron also confirmed that Ukraine will receive French Rafale multirole fighter jets in 2028–2029, further deepening the strategic defense partnership between the two nations.
This marks a significant evolution in Western support.
Rather than relying solely on deliveries from abroad, Ukraine is increasingly being granted licenses to manufacture advanced Western weapons domestically. Producing these systems inside Ukraine dramatically reduces delivery times, strengthens long-term defense capabilities, and allows weapons to reach the battlefield far more quickly than waiting for production abroad and international transfers.
Since the full-scale invasion began, the West has increasingly recognized that building weapons in Ukraine during wartime is often faster and more efficient than exporting finished systems. It also helps create a sustainable defense industry capable of supporting Ukraine for years to come.
With production licenses now spanning multiple advanced weapon systems, Ukraine is steadily transforming from a country dependent on foreign deliveries into one of Europe’s emerging defense manufacturing hubs.
This is about far more than new missiles.
It is about ensuring Ukraine can build, sustain, and replenish the weapons it needs—on its own soil, with the support of its allies—for as long as it takes.
