The talks follow a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron. The meeting took place in mid-June on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Paris.
During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the possibility of licensed production of French weapons in Ukraine. According to Fedorov, the French government and the missile manufacturer are now working to resolve issues including intellectual property rights, the scope of Ukrainian participation in production and formal procedures.
SCALP, known in the United Kingdom as Storm Shadow, is a long-range air-launched cruise missile developed by MBDA. Ukrainian Su-24M and Su-24MR aircraft have been adapted to carry the missile.
France and the United Kingdom supplied the weapon to Ukraine in 2023. It has since been used by Ukraine to strike important targets behind Russian lines.
Despite being an older design that has been in production for more than 20 years, SCALP/Storm Shadow continues to retain high effectiveness. The missile is described as a difficult target for Russian air defence, although some missiles have been shot down during combat and their wreckage has been closely examined.
As a result, the missile’s design is no longer considered a major secret. The supplied input also states that France can freely dispose of the missile because it does not contain components produced in the United States.
Another argument in favour of transferring production to Ukraine is Kyiv’s commitment to purchase French Rafale fighter aircraft. Rafale fighters are capable of launching this type of ammunition.
The discussions point to Ukraine’s effort to expand access to long-range strike weapons through licensed production. They also connect future missile production with Kyiv’s planned acquisition of aircraft able to employ SCALP-class weapons.
