Ukraine can count on the transfer of intelligence data from France, which was confirmed by the country’s Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu. This was a reaction to the freeze on military aid and intelligence transfers, confirmed by US officials.
At the same time, it is France that has its own and quite powerful intelligence system, although, of course, it is many times smaller than what the United States has. At the same time, the main thing is that it is completely autonomous. At the same time, we are talking about satellite reconnaissance.
And in general, the entire European segment of NATO is estimated to have about 50 of its own military satellites, of which 15 are French, while the United States has about 250 of them. At the same time, the main tool of French space intelligence is the CERES (Capacité de Renseignement Électromagnétique Spatiale) system of three electromagnetic reconnaissance satellites.
These satellites allow you to triangulate any enemy activity in the electromagnetic spectrum with high accuracy, detecting communication centers, air defense systems, command posts, etc.
It is also necessary not to forget that Airbus, which is headquartered in Blagnac, France, has its own constellation of optical and SAR satellites. At the same time, the two Pleiades Neo satellites provide an ultra-high resolution of 30 cm per pixel.
Also, do not forget about the more than significant number of commercial satellites that allow you to obtain up-to-date satellite images in high resolution, including the Finnish ICEYE. That is, it is absolutely impossible to say that the United States has made Ukraine completely blind in the issue of space intelligence.
As for aerial reconnaissance, that is, data from reconnaissance UAVs or aircraft patrolling near the Russian Federation, the absence of American patrols, whether the Americans transmit this information also means that it will simply become less, and not that it will not be at all.
In particular, France has four of its own AEW&C E-3F Sentry aircraft in service and three more, if there is a critical need, carrier-based E-2C Hawkeye. At the same time, if we take the pan-European segment, it is NATO, as an organization, that owns another 14 E-3 Sentrys, which fly under the flag of Luxembourg.
As for radio reconnaissance aircraft, News Hub devoted a separate article to this, because Europe has analogues and even its own RC-135 Rivet Joint. As for anti-submarine operations, France has a fleet of 11 Bréguet 1150 Atlantics.
