France’s Minister of Defense Sebastien Lecornu has confirmed the country supplied two batteries of Crotale NG air defense missile system to Ukraine.
France supplies the anti-air Crotale weapon to Ukraine to support the fight against Russia, according to Sebastien Lecornu.
In an interview with Journal du Dimanche, Lecornu said that two batteries of Crotale NG air defense missile systems have been delivered to Ukraine out of the twelve owned by the French Air Force.
The Crotale NG is an all-weather short-range and multi-sensor air defense system developed by Thales Air Defense.
The various subsystems of Crotale NG are integrated into a single platform, which makes Crotale a stable and compact platform. The air defense system houses both radars and infrared sensors to provide the best view of the airborne targets.
The latest upgrade of the Crotale NG features an advanced thermal camera for reliable real-time imaging during day and night.
The warhead carrying capacity of the system is 13kg. The weapon system can launch the warhead at a maximum speed of Mach 3.5 to hit targets 11km away.
The Crotale NG system provides air situation and threat assessment, extended detection range, identification friend or foe (IFF), multi-target detection plus automated acquisition, tracking and engagement and all-weather operation. The data exchange capability provides integration of the Crotale NG into a global air defense scheme.