COVID-19 and lack of big-money deals hit French exports in 2020
Morocco ordered 300 VLRA vehicles in late 2020; pictured recently is a vehicle in final production. (Photo: Jean-Marc Tanguy)
Official figures show that French defence equipment export orders took a big hit last year.
French defence companies recorded a 40% year-on-year slump in overseas orders to €4.9 billion ($5.97 billion) in 2020, according to the latest annual report provided by the MoD to parliament on 2 June.
However, strong demand for Rafale is driving a rebound in 2021.
MoD spokesman Hervé Grandjean attributed the sharp fall mainly to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, although the decrease accelerated a recent trend: in 2019, exports decreased by 8.5%.
Grandjean explained that multiple small contracts characterised sales to overseas customers in 2020, as no major deals exceeded €500 million ($609 million).
‘This absence is
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
Read this Article
Get access to this article with a Free Basic Account
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 1 free story per week
- Personalised news alerts
- Daily and weekly newsletters
- Free magazine subscription to all our titles
- Downloadable equipment data handbooks
- Distribution rights (Corporate only)
Unlimited Access
Access to all our premium news as a Premium News 365 Member. Corporate subscriptions available.
- Original curated content, daily across air, land and naval domains
- 14-day free trial (cancel at any time)
- Unlimited access to all published premium news
- 10-year news archive access
- Downloadable equipment data handbooks
- Distribution rights (Corporate only)
More from Defence Notes
-
![Why UK defence still faces an uncertain future and difficult decisions]()
Why UK defence still faces an uncertain future and difficult decisions
Despite the additional funding promised this week, the UK armed forces still look set to face cutbacks, and maintaining international commitments to AUKUS and GCAP may limit the options for other programmes.
-
![What's the deal with defence procurement? (podcast)]()
What's the deal with defence procurement? (podcast)
This week on the Shephard Defence Podcast, senior naval reporter Harry Lye and military training & simulation reporter Norbert Neumann chat with Professor John Louth.
