French Member of Parliament, Chairman of the Defence Committee Thomas Gassilloud said on local television that "significant work is currently underway to integrate" AASM Hammer guided air bombs into F-16 multirole fighter aircraft that is going to arrive in Ukraine the upcoming summer. On the one hand, this message can be considered the final official confirmation of the previous reports that the French smart bombs will indeed be part of Ukrainian F-16 arsenal.
On the other hand, a completely logical question arises, why does France need to do any extra work, in the first place, on integrating a Western-made weapon like the AASM Hammer into Western aircraft that seemingly should be compatible by default.
Read more: Capabilities and Specs of AASM Hammer, the Rocket-Bomb Hybrid Weapon That France Wants to Give Ukraine
After all, the F-16 doesn't need, for example, special pylons to fit such weapon to an underwing hardpoint, in contrast to Ukraine's Soviet-era aircraft modified to carry AGM-88 HARM missiles or JDAM bombs. The same goes for onboard computers, there is no need to hold commercial iPads like Ukrainian pilots of MiG-29s and Su-27s.
Still, the idea about total interoperability of Western (read: NATO) aircraft is often overestimated. The issues could pop up due to software requirements. For instance, that was the case when the United Kingdom committed to sending Paveway IV air bombs to the Ukrainian Air Force, this weapon also needed an adaptation to F-16.
From a different standpoint, we could question the very logic behind the process of AASM Hammer's integration into F-16. Paris announced it would supply 600 of Hammers per year, that is not as many as to necessitate additional carriers on top of those Ukraine already has. Namely, some Ukrainian old aircraft have already been modified accordingly. Ukraine's current aircraft fleet should suffice to use these the French bombs.
There is a possibility that France is initiating these works in view of the potential plans to increase the supplies in the future, strategized for several years ahead.
Read more: Ukrainian Forces Strike russian Troops at Avdiivka Coke Plant Using AASM Hammer Guided Bombs
