France, Germany break impasse on arms exports
France and Germany agreed on 16 October on an accord governing the export of jointly developed weapons and defence equipment, removing a key stumbling block to their development of next-generation tanks and fighter jets.
‘We have finalised a major, legally binding deal on arms exports to fully complete these programmes,’ French President Emmanuel Macron said at a press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The two leaders met in the southwest French city of Toulouse, home of Airbus, as well as a major factory owned by Dassault Aviation.
Both companies areworking on the ambitious FCAS project (pictured), which will combine a new fighter plane with drones, satellites and other aircraft to help reduce the EU’s long reliance on US planes and equipment.
But Paris and Berlin have not always seen eye-to-eye on weapons sales beyond the EU – and both countries say such exports are crucial for making the new plane and tank projects viable.
France, for example, has maintained its arms sales to Saudi Arabia, while Germany has halted them over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Currently, either country could halt the export of jointly made weapons in case of disagreement on the buyer, a complexity removed by the Franco-German deal, French officials said.
‘It marks the mutual confidence between France and Germany and constitutes the basis of success for common projects like the tank and the future aircraft,’ as well as scores of other joint projects, a French presidency official told AFP.
More from Defence Notes
-
![Industrial capacity under scrutiny as US approves further $8.6 billion Middle East arms sale]()
Industrial capacity under scrutiny as US approves further $8.6 billion Middle East arms sale
The fast-tracked emergency approvals come as the conflict in the Middle East stretches out into its third month, after Iranian attacks depleted US allies’ missile stockpiles and testing air defence systems.
-
![Intelligence innovation: From data overload to decision advantage (Podcast)]()
Intelligence innovation: From data overload to decision advantage (Podcast)
As militaries face an overwhelming flow of data, the challenge is shifting from collection to delivering fast, actionable insights that drive decision-making. Advances in AI and data integration are helping armed forces move beyond siloed systems to generate real-time intelligence across domains and allies.
-
![Teledyne FLIR adds GPS-denied 3D-mapping capabilities to its CBRN uncrewed platforms]()
Teledyne FLIR adds GPS-denied 3D-mapping capabilities to its CBRN uncrewed platforms
In a partnership with Emesent, Teledyne FLIR will equip its autonomous air, ground and detection systems with the Hovermap LiDAR payload in a move that highlights a broader market shift towards modular architectures, shared payloads and interoperability across platforms.
-
![US seeks 32% boost for missile defence budget with $23 billion earmarked for interceptors]()
US seeks 32% boost for missile defence budget with $23 billion earmarked for interceptors
The Pentagon’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year includes an impressive increase in the procurement of interceptors, with the number of the US Army’s PAC-3 MSE rounds expanding by 683%, the US Navy’s Standard Missile by 365% and the MDA’s SM-3 IIA by more than 1,000%.
-
![US Army partners with Global Military Products to surge munitions production]()
US Army partners with Global Military Products to surge munitions production
Global Military Products was selected by the US Army to operate the Quad Cities Cartridge Case Facility and ramp up the production of various calibre shell cases.
