A visitor tests a defense simulation program during the Eurosatory international land, air and security defense exhibition, in Villepinte, a northern suburb of Paris, on June 17, 2024 (AFP/JULIEN DE ROSA)
First contracts signed and questions about the future French defense policy in the event of a change: Eurosatory, the largest international land defense and security exhibition, opened on Monday to the north of Paris.
In the aisles of the Villepinte exhibition center, among the armored vehicles on display, the equipment highlighted by the conflict in Ukraine features prominently, whether shells and missiles of all kinds, drones, or anti-aircraft systems.
French army soldiers present the SRGr multi-purpose robot, enabling remote observation, detection and mapping missions to be carried out, during a demonstration at the international land and air-land defense and security exhibition Eurosatory, in Villepinte, in the northern suburbs of Paris, June 16, 2024 (AFP/Valentine CHAPUIS)
Many countries, particularly in Europe, became aware with the Russian invasion of their neighbor that they were far from having sufficient capacities and stocks to deter and cope if necessary.
The show therefore benefits from record attendance, with more than 2,000 exhibitors and 270 official delegations despite the absence of Israeli companies, which the French government has deemed undesirable in the context of deadly Israeli operations in Gaza.
A group of NGOs obtained on Friday from the Bobigny judicial court the ban from Eurosatory of any Israeli representative or intermediary, in addition to exhibitors, a decision which the organizer Coges Events, supported by the State, appealed.
The Essential Decon M01 vehicle from KNDS CBRN (right) and the Fortress MK2 from Arquus (left) at the international land and air-land defense and security exhibition Eurosatory, in Villepinte, a northern suburb of Paris, on June 16, 2024 (AFP /Valentine CHAPUIS)
Eurosatory, “it’s a platform for outreach, relationships with the defense ecosystem and commercial contacts,” summarizes Emmanuel Levacher, president of the armored vehicle manufacturer Arquus.
Like many exhibitors, the French industrialist took the opportunity to announce a contract to modernize 54 VAB armored vehicles with Qatar and present a new armored vehicle, the Mav’rx. This troop transport with enhanced protection was developed by drawing lessons from the Ukrainian conflict, in nine months to meet the needs of the “war economy”.
This concept, mentioned by French President Emmanuel Macron during the previous Eurosatory two years ago, aims to push manufacturers to produce more and more quickly to meet sudden needs.
“The efforts made by our manufacturers are very important and produce results that are there,” said Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu as he inaugurated the show.
– Caesar and Mistral –
According to him, “in two years, we have collectively in France been able to perfect our reliability model”, he said in front of an audience of foreign military representatives, while the sustainability of the French defense model relies on exports.
French army soldiers install a French Caesar self-propelled howitzer during a demonstration at the Eurosatory international land and air defense and security exhibition, in Villepinte, a northern suburb of Paris, on June 16, 2024 (AFP/Valentine CHAPUIS)
The minister notably lifted the veil on contracts which will be signed during the week: a joint purchase of Caesar cannons with Estonia and Croatia, another joint purchase of 1,500 short-range Mistral anti-aircraft defense missiles with Estonia, Belgium, Cyprus and Hungary, and an order for Thales GM200 radars by a European country.
The French group announced Monday morning that it had sold two to Brazil and that it would quadruple its production of 120mm mortar shells following a French order for several tens of thousands of shells.
This equipment is emblematic of the ramp-up initiated by manufacturers over the past two years: production of the GM200 has increased from 12 to 24 and soon 30 per year, that of the Caesar has been multiplied by three since 2022, that of the Mistral must increase from 10 to 40 monthly by next year and production times to be halved.
The prospect of a possible change of political majority in France, however, leaves doubt in the aisles of the show about the continuation of the policy undertaken.
This photograph shows munitions on display at the Eurosatory international land, air defense and security exhibition, in Villepinte, a northern suburb of Paris, on June 17, 2024 (AFP/JULIEN DE ROSA)
“Perhaps the war economy has also been dissolved, unfortunately the war is not going away and competition is not going away either,” estimates Emmanuel Levacher.
Depending on which majority wins, industrialists are wondering about the future of cooperation programs, particularly with Germany, the arms export policy that the future government will pursue or even the implementation implementation of the military programming law which plans to devote 413 billion euros to defense by 2030.
One of them claims to be a philosopher: “I believe a lot in the reality principle”.
© 2024 AFP
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