France eyes handing over 'expired' long-range SCALP missiles to Ukraine
France is considering transferring long-range SCALP missiles, either expired or assembled from expired components, to Ukraine, Deutsche Welle, citing the French media company RFI, reported on May 10.
This decision would be economically beneficial as these missiles require disposal, allowing France to avoid depleting its own missile arsenal.
The missiles are planned to be transferred as part of the Chrysalis program, involving missiles with expired shelf lives as well as those from which individual components have been removed for use in other SCALP missiles.
These missiles will be transported to French factories where they will be made "usable" within three months, the RFI said.
SCALP missiles, an analogue of UK-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles, have been transferred to Ukraine by the United Kingdom before. They are Franco-British air-to-ground missiles produced by the European multinational developer and missile manufacturer MBDA, with a warhead weight of 450 kg and a range of over 250 km.
Ukraine received the first batch of such missiles from France in August 2023. In January 2024, the country's president, Emmanuel Macron, announced the delivery of an additional 40 units.
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