France has begun training 2300 Ukrainian soldiers to join the newly formed Anna of Kyiv Brigade. This is a significant expansion of France’s military support for Ukraine. Militarnyi reports that the French President Emmanuel Macron announced a comprehensive training program in the Grand-Est area of eastern France.
France has been one of Ukraine’s strongest supporters within the EU. It has supplied weapons like Scalp cruise missiles and Caesar self-propelled cannons. Ukraine’s allies provide training courses to Ukrainian soldiers under both EU and national programs.
Macron said
“I made this promise: our military is now preparing 2,300 Ukrainian soldiers with the equipment they’ll use during missions in Grand-Est.”
He stressed that the brigade would be trained and equipped by French solidarity.
The X account for the Chief of Staff, French Army, published an infographic that showed the training program covered a wide range military skills, including
Infantry combat
* Armoured warfare using AMX-10RC, the French “wheeled-light tanks”
* Engineering operations involving sappers
* Air defense with Mistral missiles
* anti-tank combat using Milan missiles,
* Drone operations
* sniper training,
* the use CAESAR artillery system.
VAB armored vehicles are also used to transport infantry.
By 15 September 2024 France will have trained more than 15,000 Ukrainian servicemen through this program. Since March, France has been training Ukrainian pilots to fly Alphajet aircraft in preparation for a possible transition to F-16 fighter jets or Mirage 2000-5.
The upgraded Mirage 2000 fighters will be delivered to Ukraine by France in 2025
The French-German defense company will supply 12 self-propelled systems to Ukraine
KNDS, a Franco-German defence giant, opens a facility in Ukraine
* Ukraine receives fully equipped brigade of France
The first group of Ukrainian pilots has completed Alphajet aircraft training at the French Alphajet Training Centre
Read More @ euromaidanpress.com