FLUG REVUE August 2004: Europe needs closer defence cooperation

EUROPE NEEDS CLOSER DEFENCE COOPERATION

By Karl Schwarz

Dassault Aviation and EADS have signed a co-operation agreement to join forces over the development of air systems for combat and reconnaissance. This was announced at the opening of the Eurosatory defence equipment trade fair held in Paris in mid-June. Specifically, they are talking about initially developing demonstrators for an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), on which Dassault would act as the lead partner, while EADS concentrates on developing a EuroMALE prototype for a long-endurance unmanned reconnaissance vehicle. Both of these areas are gaining in strategic importance for the armed forces of the future. Considerable efforts will be required on the part of the Europeans, if they do not want to be completely left behind by the USA.

The “historic agreement” between rivals who have long competed in the military area, achieved with the discreet assistance of the French government, signals more than 1,000 well-intended politicians' speeches that the European armaments industry has to make further adjustments. Given the tight financial constraints and the underlying political mood in many countries, it would be foolish to believe there was a realistic possibility of significantly increasing defence expenditure. The only way out is therefore to combine resources, even if this goes hand-in-hand with the painful loss of competencies. Europe must concentrate on programmes which take account of the altered requirements of the armed forces. The keywords here are rapid operational readiness, improved mobility and “effects-based operations”, all of this naturally based on “network centric operations” and superiority in the gathering and evaluation of information.

Against this background, priorities could well shift. For example, does the Luftwaffe really need 180 Eurofighters? Does the German Army need any more than the 80 Tigers already on order? Would it not make more sense to invest the money in other projects? Thinking ahead to successor programmes is a waste of time, as there is not going to be a new manned European fighter aircraft in the next 40 years, if at all. Large companies like EADS and Thales are therefore trying increasingly to position themselves as specialists in the integration of “systems of systems”, while at the same time they also want to take over definition of the system architecture.

In the future, the organisation that industry has to deal with should be the European Defence Agency. This new agency, whose foundation was approved by EU foreign ministers on 14 June, is to start work before the end of the year. The European Union is banking on the foundation of the EDA to improve its defence capabilities. Duplication of work is to be avoided and research and development activities combined. These are ambitious goals, which, however, still have to be underpinned by the necessary financial resources. For, without a reasonable budget, the agency will hardly have the clout needed to implement these perfectly sensible objectives. Past experience of the difficulties that can blight international collaborative projects suggests that the prospects of success should be viewed with scepticism. But this time around, strong competition from the USA, dwindling budgets and irrefutable operational requirements will put a lot of pressure on everyone to get their act together and work together harmoniously. And that pressure is only going to grow.

From page 4 of FLUG REVUE 8/2004

Last updated 8 July 2004

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