France to license Ukraine to produce SCALP cruise missiles, AASM bombs, and Aster interceptors

French President Emmanuel Macron announced after the "Coalition of the Willing" summit in Paris that France intends to grant Ukraine a license to produce SCALP cruise missiles, according to the Ukrainian outlet Liga.net.

Ukraine will also receive licenses to produce AASM guided air-to-ground munitions and Aster interceptor missiles for the Franco-Italian SAMP/T air defense systems.

Ukraine plans to purchase 16 French Rafale fighter jets as well. Macron stated that the aircraft will begin flying missions in Ukrainian skies in 2028–2029.

The July 13 summit also produced an announcement that Ukraine and nine other European countries — Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark — have formed a missile defense coalition. The group will build an integrated defense architecture to deter future missile threats.

At last week's NATO summit, U.S. President Donald Trump promised to grant Ukraine a license to produce missiles for Patriot systems. Those missiles are critical to Ukraine's air defenses, but experts say serial production cannot be launched quickly in Ukraine.