The French Minister of Defense announced that France will deliver 50 aerial bombs to Ukraine every month until the end of the year in 2024. It is believed that the French government plans to supply adjustable aerial bombs to the AASM family equipped with rocket boosters.

AASM is a kit for the modernization of existing unguided aerial bombs of the American JDAM type currently used by Ukrainian tactical aviation. The kit consists of a front part with a guidance system and wings, and a rear part with an accelerator designed to increase flight range.

Two types of bomb kits are in service in France: Hammer-250 for Mk.82 bombs weighing 227 kg and Hammer-1000 for Mk.84 bombs weighing 908 kilograms.

The bow part of the AASM kit can be equipped with three guidance systems: INS with GPS, INS with GOS with thermal imaging or similar with laser beam guidance system. According to the developer, the first type of system has a hit accuracy of 10 meters, while the last two have an accuracy of up to 1 meter.

AASM guided aerial bombs with thermal imaging and laser guidance systems are immune to enemy electronic warfare systems. The range of such ammunition depends on the launch altitude and initial speed, but according to official data it ranges from 15 to 70 kilometers.

In 2022, the manufacturer introduced a new booster for Hammer-1000 kits, which should provide a flight range of up to 200 kilometers.

The main carriers of this ammunition in Ukraine will be MiG-29 fighter jets, and the Su-24 bomber will be able to carry Mk.82 bombs weighing 340 kilograms in case of war. In addition, during the tests, the compatibility of AASM ammunition with F-16 fighter jets was proven. Source