October 15, 2024 | International, Land
January 14, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR
COLOGNE, Germany — The German Cabinet has approved a new, high-level pact with France that calls for a common approach to weapons exports in all joint programs.
The objective is included in the so-called Aachener Vertrag, slated to be signed by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the German city of Aachen on Jan. 22. The document is meant to be a milestone agreement complementary of the Élysée Treaty, signed 56 years ago, further cementing ties on all levels between the former World War II foes.
Berlin and France previously clashed over the question of export limitations for the Future Combat Air System, a sixth-generation warplane envisioned to take flight sometime around 2040, Germany's Der Spiegel reported last fall. France generally is open to exporting arms to many governments willing to pay for them. German leaders profess to take a more cautious approach when human rights concerns crop up, though the government has a history of making arms deals through the back door anyway.
The different philosophies came to a head following the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Oct. 2, which some have alleged was orchestrated by Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Saudi ruling family has denied the allegations, buoyed by the Trump administration's decision to play down the matter.
The allegations led Merkel to publicly call for halting weapons exports to Saudi Arabia, a move that drew a sharp rebuke from Paris, where officials fumed about what they perceived as German sanctimoniousness.
France and Germany's diverging export policies are based on their respective “strategic cultures,” said Wolfgang Rudischhauser, vice president of the Federal Academy for Security Policy in Berlin. Germany considers itself a “peace power,” whereas France models its policies on the premise of an “intervention army,” he said.
Asked whether the section on harmonizing export policies in the Aachener Vertrag was aimed at least in part at the future combat aircraft program, a spokesman for the German foreign ministry pointed out that no projects were explicitly mentioned in the draft treaty text.
That program, together with a future main battle tank and a future combat drone, forms the backbone of Franco-German defense ambitions, with tens of billions of dollars at stake.
With a concrete objective toward harmonizing arms-export rules now on the books between Paris and Berlin, Rudischhauser argued that a European Union-wide regime would be needed in the end.
“That would require ceding certain authorities to the EU, for which neither Germany nor France have shown an appetite,” he told Defense News.
To oversee the the new treaty's defense provisions, the pact establishes a bilateral defense and security council, which would “convene regularly at the highest level.”
 
					October 15, 2024 | International, Land
 
					November 1, 2023 | International, Aerospace
Major U.S. airlines and aviation companies joined ethanol companies to send a letter to the Biden administration on Wednesday backing a regulatory change that would make it easier for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) made from corn-based ethanol to qualify for federal subsidies.
 
					March 30, 2022 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
DÉFENSE Bilan de Florence Parly : des exportations qui atteignent des sommets jamais atteints En cinq ans à l'Hôtel de Brienne, la ministre des Armées Florence Parly a permis à la France de renforcer ses exportations dans le monde, avec des montants croissants chaque année. C'est surtout en 2021 que les exportations ont atteint des sommets, totalisant plus de 65 Md€ d'exportations sur le quinquennat. En 2022, Dassault Aviation a déjà engrangé deux méga contrats (80 Rafale aux Émirats arabes unis et 42 en Indonésie) ainsi que six appareils supplémentaires en Grèce. Le ministère des Armées estime d'ores et déjà que les exportations vont s'élever pour les années 2021 et 2022 à un montant cumulé de plus de 30 Md€. Au total, depuis son arrivée au ministère des Armées en 2017, Florence Parly a aidé à la vente de 201 Rafale, sur les 285 vendus à l'export depuis 2015. Au-delà de tous ces succès, Florence Parly a souhaité faire de l'Europe une priorité des exportations d'armement françaises : la part de la zone Europe a atteint en 2019 et 2020 un niveau significatif, respectivement 45% et 25% des prises de commande. Des niveaux jamais atteints jusqu'ici. La Tribune du 30 mars