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Some speculation on the flurry of activity in Ukraine regarding French aircraft and weapons systems
Some speculation on the flurry of activity in Ukraine regarding French aircraft and weapons systems.
My friends I have a theory
We reported yesterday that the Ukrainian Air Force recently expressed an interest in acquiring a specific version of the Mirage 2000 - The 2000D: this version is a specialised missile carrier, basically a stand off bomber.
France just announced a new shipment of SCALP missiles for Ukraine, plus a number of unspecified smart bombs - all of which are likely to arrive during an announced visit of Macron to Kyiv in February. They are expected to sign a new bilateral agreement between the countries, similar to the one earlier concluded between Ukraine and the UK.
Defence Express speculates that this smart bomb may be the AASM Hammer - often referred to as a rocket/bomb hybrid weapon but technically it is an ordinary bomb with a special attachment kit that increases the range and precision of strike.
There are three components to the system. Central to the design is either a 250-kg Mk 82 or a 1,000-kg BLU 109 or Mk 8, as shown below. The tail of the kit, called Range Extension Kit (REK), can be equipped with a solid fuel engine; the head comes in three variants of guidance systems: satellite only or with additional thermal or laser semi-active guidance. Additionally, there's an option of airburst detonation.
The declared range of the bomb is over 70 km. This is an important parameter because it allows dropping the standoff weapon from a relatively safe distance, although it still depends on the altitude of the carrier during the launch. The bomb's manufacturer provides the following infographic to illustrate how the AASM Hammer is used from a low-altitude nap-of-the-earth flight.
If Ukraine does receive this weapon they need a compatible platform to utilise it. The current main AASM operator is the Armée de l'air et de l'espace utilizing the Rafale, there were also trial launches performed by the F-16, Mirage 2000, and the Mirage F1 which was additionally equipped with Hasas (Hammer Stand Alone System). Also, India used to buy these bombs in 2020 to integrate with Tejas. Hence Ukraine’s sudden interest in acquiring the aforementioned Mirage 2000D
The AASM Hammer bombs were utilised in Afghanistan and Libya with a reported 99% effectiveness.