# France licenses SCALP, Aster-30, and AASM missile production to Ukraine and confirms delivery of 16 Rafale jets by 2028 > Macron and Zelensky signed a Joint Declaration in Paris granting Ukraine rights to produce three French weapons systems domestically, the first time France has licensed capabilities to Kyiv rather than transferring stock, alongside a confirmed order for 16 Dassault Rafale fighters **Meta:** type: event · date: 2026-07-13 · heads: How Wars Actually End, Whose Money · 10 takes · 8 lenses · 6 regions ## Summary France and Ukraine signed a Joint Declaration in Paris on July 13 granting Kyiv licensed production rights for three French weapons systems: the SCALP long-range cruise missile, the Aster-30 air-defence interceptor, and the AASM precision guided bomb. It is the first time France has licensed weapons production capabilities to Ukraine rather than supplying finished stock. French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also confirmed Ukraine will receive a first batch of 16 Dassault Rafale fighter jets by 2028-2029, alongside SAMP/T NG ballistic missile defence systems. The announcement came at the end of a [Ukraine and nine European allies launch anti-ballistic missile coalition in Paris on July 13, pledging a shared European missile shield](/en/n/ukraine-anti-ballistic-coalition-paris-jul13) Coalition of the Willing summit in Paris, with German Chancellor Merz and UK Prime Minister Starmer also present. The production licences allow Ukraine to manufacture these weapons domestically, reducing dependence on transferred stock and adding an indigenous production dimension to Kyiv's war economy. ## The split Ukrainian outlets, Kyiv Independent, UNITED24 Media, and Pravda UK, foregrounded the historic nature of the licence transfer and the fighter jet delivery timeline. European defence trade press, FlightGlobal and Defense News, treated the story as a procurement milestone. Meduza, the Russian-language independent outlet in exile, reported factually without celebratory framing. Coverage in Russian state-controlled media was not available in the crawl feed. The deal's geopolitical meaning, its impact on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, was more explicit in Ukrainian coverage and largely absent from trade-press accounts. ## By the numbers - 16, Rafale fighter jets confirmed for Ukraine, first batch, 2028-2029 delivery - 3, weapons systems licensed for domestic production in Ukraine: SCALP, Aster-30, AASM - 1st time, France has licensed weapons production capabilities to Ukraine (vs. stock transfer) - Jul 13, date of the Macron-Zelensky Joint Declaration in Paris ## Why it matters The licence transfer is strategically distinct from weapons deliveries. Ukraine can now manufacture SCALP cruise missiles, the primary long-range strike weapon it has used against Russian logistics and air defence, domestically. That closes a dependency loop: Ukraine will no longer need France to keep replenishing stock as it is depleted in combat. The Rafales, arriving from 2028, give Ukraine a fourth-generation multirole jet, its first from a NATO founding member. Combined, the package marks a French shift toward deep integration with Ukraine's military-industrial base, not just equipment supply. ## What to watch - Russia's formal diplomatic and military response to the licence transfer, particularly any new targeting of Ukrainian industrial sites. - Whether other Coalition of the Willing members, notably the UK and Germany, follow France with their own production licence agreements. - The SAMP/T NG delivery schedule, which underpins Ukraine's ability to defend the new production facilities from ballistic missile strikes. - Whether Dassault's 2028 delivery commitment holds given ongoing supply-chain constraints in European defence. ## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens) ### Ukrainian government-aligned English-language platform; first to publish in English with the core facts, framing this as France delivering Rafale jets and granting missile production licenses in a single announcement - **UNITED24 Media** (Ukraine, en) — UNITED24 Media confirmed the two elements of the Paris agreement: France would send 16 Rafale jets to Ukraine in 2028-2029 and simultaneously grant Kyiv licensed production rights for SCALP cruise missiles and Aster-30 air defence interceptors. As a Ukrainian government-backed outlet, the framing was unambiguously positive, emphasising the historic nature of the license transfer. > "France will send Rafale jets to Ukraine in 2028-2029. Kyiv also received rights to produce French missiles." Source: https://united24media.com/world/france-to-deliver-rafale-jets-and-grant-scalp-aster-30-missile-licenses-to-ukraine-20738 ### Ukrainian investigative outlet's English edition; the press-conference account, placing the announcement in the context of Macron speaking alongside Merz, Starmer, and Zelensky, situating this as a Coalition of the Willing summit outcome - **Ukrainska Pravda UK** (Ukraine, en) — Pravda UK reported Macron's announcement at the joint press conference with Merz, Starmer, and Zelensky, providing the diplomatic context: this was a Coalition of the Willing summit output, not a bilateral announcement in isolation. It confirmed both the licensing of long-range missile production and the fighter jet supply. > "At a press conference with Merz, Starmer and Zelensky, the French president announced the imminent delivery of fighter jets and missile production licenses." Source: https://uk.news-pravda.com/ukraine/2026/07/13/157078.html ### Russia-based independent outlet in exile; reported the announcement neutrally, naming the three weapons systems, SCALP cruise missiles, Aster interceptors, and AASM guided bombs, without the Ukrainian-media celebratory framing - **Meduza** (Latvia (Russian-language independent), en) — Meduza named all three licensed systems explicitly, SCALP, Aster, and AASM, and situated the announcement in the post-Coalition-of-the-Willing summit context, sourcing the Ukrainian outlet Liga.net. Its tone was factual and non-celebratory, reflecting a Russian-language independent audience's need for an unvarnished account of Western military transfers to Ukraine. > "France intends to grant Ukraine a license to produce SCALP cruise missiles, Aster interceptors, and AASM guided bombs." Source: https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/07/14/macron-says-france-will-license-ukraine-to-produce-scalp-cruise-missiles-aster-interceptors-and-aasm-guided-bombs ### European defence-analysis outlet; provided the most technically detailed account, specifying the 16-aircraft batch size, the 2028-2029 delivery window, and the licence-versus-stock distinction as a first in Franco-Ukrainian defence cooperation - **Grosswald.org (defence analysis)** (Europe, en) — Grosswald noted that the Paris roadmap marked the first time France had licensed weapons production capabilities to Ukraine rather than transferring finished stock, identifying this as a structural shift in the relationship. It confirmed the 16 Rafale batch and the 2028-2029 delivery window and named SCALP, AASM, and Aster-30 as the three licensed systems. > "The first time Paris has licensed capabilities to Kyiv rather than transferred stock." Source: https://www.grosswald.org/france-ukraine-licence-scalp-aasm-aster-production-sixteen-rafale-2028-2029/ ### Ukraine's leading independent English-language newsroom; attributed the announcement directly to Macron on July 13, named the air-defence systems alongside the Rafales, and set the overall package in the context of French support since the conflict began - **Kyiv Independent** (Ukraine, en) — Kyiv Independent led with the July 13 timeline, confirming Macron's announcement included a SAMP/T NG air and ballistic missile defence system alongside the Rafales and production licences. It emphasised that France had not previously licensed weapons production to Kyiv, framing this as a shift in the depth of French military commitment. > "Macron said France would allow Ukraine to produce French-designed missiles and air defense, marking the first time it has licensed weapons production in Ukraine." Source: https://kyivindependent.com/france-grants-ukraine-license-to-produce-missiles-air-defense-will-deliver-16-rafale-fighter-jets/ ### US defence-industry trade press; focused on the Rafale acquisition roadmap and weapon systems that accompany it, treating this as a procurement story rather than a political one - **Defense News** (United States, en) — Defense News confirmed the 16-jet figure and Macron's attribution, adding that the Rafale package comes with accompanying weapon systems and air-defence equipment. The piece did not dwell on the licence transfer but treated the Rafale acquisition as the headline, reflecting the outlet's procurement-focused readership. > "Ukraine has agreed on a plan to acquire 16 Rafale fighter jets from France together with the accompanying weapon systems." Source: https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2026/07/14/ukraine-agrees-on-plan-to-acquire-16-rafale-jets-frances-macron-says/ ### Aviation trade press; confirmed the 2028 delivery date for the initial Rafale batch and placed the licence transfer in an aerospace-industry context, noting this was a Dassault Aviation order - **FlightGlobal** (United Kingdom, en) — FlightGlobal confirmed Macron's statement that the first Rafales would reach Ukraine by 2028, framing this as a procurement milestone for Dassault Aviation and emphasising the advanced nature of the weapons production licences transferred alongside the jet order. > "Macron confirmed Ukraine will receive its first Dassault Aviation Rafale fighters by 2028 as part of an expanded support package." Source: https://www.flightglobal.com/archive/2026/07/ukraine-to-receive-first-dassault-rafale-fighters-by-2028/ ### unlabelled - **Ukrinform** (Ukraine, en) — Source: https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-defense/4144316-france-approves-rafale-jets-advanced-air-defenses-and-missile-production-for-ukraine.html - **Breitbart** (United States, en) — Source: https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2026/07/14/ukraine-gets-license-to-produce-french-missiles-orders-rafale-fighter-jets/ - **Crypto Briefing** (Global, en) — Source: https://cryptobriefing.com/france-ukraine-missile-production-licenses/ ## Across the graph - Entities: Ukraine, France, Russia --- Canonical: https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/france-ukraine-rafale-weapons-jul14