Overview
- Presidents Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron signed the accord at Villacoublay air base, covering up to 100 Rafale F4 fighters plus SAMP/T next‑generation systems, radars, air‑to‑air missiles, guided bombs and drones.
- The agreement is not a sales contract and envisages a roughly decade-long implementation, with Rafale deliveries stretching toward 2035 and additional specifics on quantities and schedules still to be finalized.
- French and Ukrainian industries will begin joint work this year on interceptor drones and other critical technologies, with some drone and missile production slated to start sooner than fighter deliveries.
- Financing mechanisms remain unsettled, with France indicating it could draw on its national budget and EU borrowing tools, a plan that could encounter pushback from some partners.
- Officials and reports say some aircraft could come from French stocks while most would be new builds, and the plan complements Ukraine’s broader mixed fleet effort alongside F‑16s and a recent Gripen letter of intent, with pilot training and integration expected to take time.