France ramps up weapons production for Ukraine and says Russia is scrutinizing the West’s mettle

PARIS (AP) — France’s defense minister says French manufacturers have reduced manufacturing times for some of the weapons systems they supply to Ukraine by half or more. The minister, Sébastien Lecornu, also confirmed in an interview published Thursday that France is increasingly switching away from its previous policy of dipping into its own military stocks to support the war effort against Russia’s invasion. The Caesar self-propelled howitzer, made in France by Nexter, is among weapons being churned out at an accelerated rate, with 78 in the pipeline for this year. Ammunition production is also being ramped up. The minister said that in addition to Russia, Iran and North Korea are also scrutinizing “our capacity to show endurance and reliability.”