France is mastering weapons of global reach?

In the arms export market, although there are not many big-name arms contracts like Russia or the US, with a high technical foundation, the French defense industry still shows its strength when it firmly holds the third position among the world's leading arms exporters.

"Classy" contracts

With a presence in many fields, from helicopters to fighter planes, from aircraft carriers to armored vehicles..., France's total export turnover of military equipment is constantly increasing, putting this European country in third place among the world's arms exporters, after the US and Russia. In the report on arms exports for the period 2011-2015, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said that France accounted for 5.6% of the world's arms exports. What is the key to the success of the French arms manufacturing industry?

Below are some analyses by experts on the successes and capabilities of the French defense industry in the global arms market. Accordingly, over the past 4 years, French arms exports have been constantly increasing. 2015 was even a record year when contracts in the military equipment industry earned 16 billion euros, double that of 2014 and nearly 4 times higher than in 2012.

Rafale fighter jet and weapons system made in France. Photo: defencyclopedia.com

2016 continues to be a favorable year for French arms manufacturers, as Australia alone has agreed to buy 12 submarines designed by DCNS, with a total value of up to 34 billion euros. This is a new step on the path to conquering the world arms market of French manufacturers. "The contract with Canberra demonstrates the economic strength and potential of French industry and technology, opening a 50-year period of cooperation in the field of defense technology", Prime Minister M.Van-xơ (Manuel Valls) could not help but proudly declare so after France won this contract.

In addition to the "huge" contract just won, the French arms manufacturing industry has many important customers concentrated in the Middle East and Asia such as: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Indonesia, India... The strengths in high technology in the field of industry and information technology along with long-standing experience in weapons production are absolute advantages that France has over its competitors. "It must be admitted that France has the upper hand and has more experience in the field of submarine technology than other competitors such as Germany or Japan. Technically, France is leading in this field", said analyst M. Vixente.

Master your strengths

Defense expert Pierre Conesa pointed out the strengths of the French defense industry, emphasizing its strong areas: “It is true that France has closely followed the requirements of other countries. There are many factors that need to be considered: France has a "broader" range of products than the US. Specifically, the US does not export submarines and satellites, while France has affirmed its position in both of these areas. That shows that, in the defense technology industry, although not the world's number 1 supplier, France always knows how to zone in on some areas to focus on investment and master a few areas, in addition to many sources of competition, from Russia to the UK or Germany.”

In addition to its technical mastery in its strong fields, France is considered one of the countries that is very "careful" with each of its products, thereby gaining prestige in transferring products to customers. Taking an example of this, defense expert P. Conesa analyzed: When France began selling and transferring fighter jet manufacturing technology to Japan, people were afraid that Japan would become a competitor, which could threaten French interests. In reality, this is not necessarily the case. Up to now, Rafale fighter jets are still superior to Japanese fighter jets and stealth aircraft. In fact, France does not only sell one product but also many other things that go with it, and in this regard, the French technology industry really has many advantages.

Some other analysts believe that there are several factors that explain the success of the French arms industry: Firstly, the French army brought many French weapons to fight in many places around the world, from Mali to Central Africa, Iraq... and on those fronts, "Made in France" weapons products have been known to other countries. Secondly, it is impossible not to take into account the political factor when some partners in the world want to find a new source of supply to reduce their dependence on the US or Russia. The third reason that explains this success is the large investment that has rapidly increased the export of French weapons by the French Ministry of Defense. The brilliant successes that France has had since 2013 until now, according to some defense experts, cannot fail to mention the role of Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. It is no coincidence that the press calls him the "messenger" of the defense industry. From Poland to Qatar, from India to Egypt, from Brazil to Thailand…, wherever there are bidding projects, there is the presence of Mr. Le Gyldrian, the right-hand man of French President P. O-langđơ (François Hollande).

Although the US still dominates the arms market with revenues ranging from 60-80 billion USD per year, followed by Russia with 25-30 billion USD, France is also confidently entering the potential arms market with flexible policies and is also focusing more on Asia.

According to qdnd.vn