French arms exports are in good shape: they have reached no less than 18 billion euros in 2024. Sébastien Lecornu, Minister of the Armed Forces, announced this on Tuesday January 7, specifying that 10 billion euros concerned “flagship platforms” such as Dassault’s Rafale fighter or the attack submarines produced by Naval Group.
This is the second best year in history for the sector after the 22 billion euros recorded in 2022 and far ahead of the 8.2 billion euros reached in 2023. Historically among the largest arms exporters in the world, France saw its own increase by 47% between 2019 and 2023 according to a report published a few months ago by Sipri (the International Peace Research Institute of Stockholm). Among the notable contracts concluded in 2024, we note that the 12 Rafale sold to Serbia in August or the sale in September of four Barracuda submarines to the Netherlands (the non-nuclear version of the Suffren class in service in the National Navy).
“2025 is shaping up to be an excellent year which is starting off promisingly with the sale of 14 Caracal helicopters to Iraq which I am happy to confirm to youindicates Sébastien Lecornu with, as a corollary, the assurance of a significant industrial load for the Airbus Helicopters factory in Marignane (Bouches-du-Rhône). We should not be satisfied with these results. 2025 should be a new record year with the export of surface vessels including defense and intervention frigates (FDI), submarines, radars, artillery, helicopters, Rafales.”
Strengthening the war economy
For the government, it is a question of using export outlets to continue to finance national arms programs, in line with the strategy initiated by Charles de Gaulle in the 1960s. This desire for sovereignty is embodies the “war economy” promoted by Emmanuel Macron since the start of the war in Ukraine. “We cannot fail to see that the increase in the pace of arms deliveries no longer only concerns countries at war or authoritarian regimes but also great democratic powers that are sometimes allied but competing for export”observes Sébastien Lecornu who concedes that France was not “only at the beginning of what (it had to) accomplish to be at the level of a real war economy”.
The minister set the priorities in this sense for the new government, in line with those previously mentioned by the previous ones. In addition to the diversification of the industry’s sources of supply and the development of artificial intelligence, quantum technology, space resources and drones, financing the industry is also on the menu. A system to support private investment in the sector must be put in place to “give (the) companies the means to invest in machines, larger stocks, training and recruitment”. A meeting between financiers and manufacturers must take place in the first quarter with the Ministries of the Armed Forces and the Economy.
The DGA called to “take risks”
The government also wants the “weapons of tomorrow” are produced “in large quantities” and for “cheaper”. On the front line for the conduct of major armaments programs, the General Directorate of Armaments (DGA) was encouraged by Sébastien Lecornu to continue to change its state of mind so that“dare to take risks” becomes its general rule. The institution is invited to simplify the expression of the needs of the Armed Forces and to work better with the army general staff. A return to basics for the DGA, also the fruit of the Gaullian heritage
Source: www.usinenouvelle.com
