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France earmarks further $11.6 billion for missiles and drones amid rearmament push

9th April 2026 - 15:45 GMT | by Lucy Powell in London, UK

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MBDA’s Aster missile. (Photo: DGA)

The revised funding allocation will see up to 23% of the additional budget put towards stockpiles of munitions, with the country’s GDP spending expected to reach 2.5% by 2030.

France has announced plans to spend upwards of €10.5 billion (US$11.6 billion) to boost its stockpiles of drones and missiles, a move motivated by observation of the ongoing Ukrainian and Middle Eastern conflicts and to protect against growing Russian threat.

Presented to the Council of Ministers on 8 April, the targeted spend forms part of an additional total of €36 billion in proposed funding – an update to the original €413 billion provision already allocated to the Military Programme Law (LPM) to accelerate the country’s rearmament until 2030.

First announced by President Macron in January 2026, the increased spending would boost

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Lucy Powell

Lucy Powell is Shephard’s Air Reporter. An award-winning journalist with over four years in …

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