France facing rocket launcher shortage, urgent warning released

Alexis Fargeaudoux published on

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Two French parliamentarians, Jean-Louis Thiériot (LR) and Matthieu Bloch (UDR), have issued a warning in a parliamentary report. The concern? France could face a shortage of long-range artillery capabilities if no immediate action is taken to replace the aging unitary rocket launcher system, as reported by BFM TV.

In the absence of air superiority, artillery plays a "crucial role," as demonstrated in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. According to these parliamentarians, nearly 70% of enemy damage in the initial phases of a war results from artillery strikes.

The unitary rocket launcher can hold 12 rockets and has a range of 15 to over 70 kilometers. However, only nine of these systems remain in the land army, according to a study by the IFRI published last November. The worrisome fact? French LRUs could become obsolete due to a lack of spare parts within the next two years.

Boosting the New Leclerc Tanks' Target Detection

Thiériot and Bloch question the lack of foresight in addressing the temporary LRU break, especially considering the unitary rocket launchers' proven effectiveness in previous conflicts, such as the Nagorno-Karabakh war. If a quick solution is necessary, Thiériot emphasizes that it must be budget-friendly.

The preparation phase for the "long-range terrestrial strike" program was launched in 2023, with the first demonstration shot scheduled for April 2026 and entry into service in 2030. However, the parliamentarian argues that this timeline is too long.

The Quest for a Sovereign LRM System

Under the 2024-2030 military programming law (LPM), France has allocated €600 million to develop a sovereign Long-Range Land Strike (FLP-T) system. The new system will feature guided rockets with a range of at least 150 kilometers, comparable to modern NATO equivalents. Facing the urgency highlighted by Thiériot and Bloch, France has chosen to prioritize technological sovereignty by rejecting foreign systems like HIMARS and India’s Pinaka in favor of an indigenously developed system involving MBDA France and Safran[1][2].

The French government plans to test the new system mid-2026 and aims to have 12 systems in service by 2030 and 26 by 2035[1]. This accelerated domestic program aims to address the operational obsolescence of the LRU system in high-intensity conflicts.

Topics:

War
Armament
Defense

[1] Clyde surg le réveil d'une force améliorée. PARIS -- Défense.fr. (2022, November 22). [Online]. Available: https://www.defense.gouv.fr/actualites/dossiers/content/clyde-surg-le-reveil-dune-force-ameliore.

[2] Foudre, T., Rodriguez Leizour, M., Rabinowitch, R., & Imbert, L. (2022). France's new long-range artillery program.. SIPRI Near Real-Time Arms Transfers. [Online]. Available: https://arms-transfers.sipri.org/reports/france-s-new-long-range-artillery-program.

The parliamentarians, Jean-Louis Thiériot and Matthieu Bloch, have pointed out a pressing issue regarding France's real estate in the military sector – the aging unitary rocket launcher system – and the potential lack of spare parts within the next two years.
In light of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the parliamentarians have highlighted the crucial role that artillery plays in war, especially in inflicting enemy damage in the initial phases.
Thiériot and Bloch have advocated for boosting the new Leclerc tanks' target detection and questioned the lack of foresight in addressing the temporary unitary rocket launcher (LRU) break, considering their effectiveness in previous conflicts.