France exceeded the bomb production plan supplied to Ukraine.
The company Safran produced 830 precision AASM Hammer kits in 2024, which was 40% more than planned. According to La Parisien, the initial plan was to produce 600 Hammer bomb kits to convert free-fall bombs into guided munitions. France also planned to deliver 600 bombs to Ukraine during 2024. However, Safran managed to produce 830 kits, which is 40% above the plan. For 2025, another 1200 Hammer bombs are planned to be released.
According to L'Usine Nouvelle, Safran increased its production fourfold between 2022 and 2024. The full-scale deployment of the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine has revolutionized the development of high-performance modular 'air-to-ground' weaponry.
What is the AASM Hammer precision kit?
AASM is an upgrade kit for free-fall unguided bombs. The French Hammer bomb uses a rocket engine, significantly increasing its range against targets. Depending on the launch altitude, the maximum range can reach from 15 km at low heights to 70 km at high ones. There are two types of kits: Hammer-250 for Mk.82 bombs weighing 227 kg and Hammer-1000 for Mk.84 bombs weighing 908 kg. Testing of the Hammer-1000 was expected to conclude by the end of 2024.
Recently, France claimed the responsibility of the Russian military intelligence in the cyberattacks against TV5Monde in 2015 and the hacking of Emmanuel Macron's email during the 2017 presidential campaign. The French Foreign Minister also plans to visit Kyiv along with European colleagues on May 9.
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