KYIV, Oct 17 – France will transfer short-range anti-aircraft missile systems Crotale to Ukraine, French Minister of Defense Sébastien Lecornu has said.

"They will be especially useful in the fight against drones and aerial bombardments," the Associated Press quoted the minister as saying.

He recalled that France has 12 batteries of these air defenses, but did not specify how many of them would be sent to Ukraine. Lecornu also said that the Crotale air defense systems that had retired from the French armed forces would be replaced with the more modern Mamba air defense systems. He explained that according to the plans, Ukraine will be able to deploy Crotale batteries in two months, during which the Ukrainian military will learn how to use them.