Politico - France is putting its economy on a war footing

The French Defence Ministry has announced a complete review of military planning until 2030 with a special focus on building up stocks of precision weapons, including aerial bombs and kamikaze drones, taking into account the experience of the current war in Ukraine, Politico has reported.

According to the French defence ministry, the situation in Europe has shown that the conflict requires rapid adaptation and the ability to replenish the stockpile of weapons in the shortest possible time.

Thus, according to the updated draft law on military planning, France intends to increase the stock of AASM HAMMER guided bombs by 240% and kamikaze drones by 400%. An additional 8.5bn euros are envisaged for the purchase of ammunition, missiles and other means of defeat," the publication said.

The Defence Ministry stresses that the experience of the Ukrainian army has shown the high efficiency of these systems on the battlefield, which is why it relies on proven weapons.

The French ministry also said that the revision of the strategy is related to the need to prepare the army for the scenario of "high-intensity warfare", where the speed of production of weapons and the possibility of their mass application are of key importance. Particular attention is being paid to systems that have already proven their effectiveness: guided bombs are actively used by Ukrainian aviation to strike enemy positions, and drones have become one of the main tools of modern warfare.

The military planning document also envisages a gradual increase in the defence budget: to €63.3 billion in 2027 and to €76.3 billion by 2030.

In addition, France plans to begin research on the replacement of Leclerc tanks, since the joint project with Germany is expected only in the 2040s, - the authors of the material note.

The French Ministry of Defence is confident that the transition to the model of "military economy" will allow faster response to modern challenges and provide the army with everything necessary for intensive combat operations.