A precise cost for the submarines was not provided, but the Ministry of Defense told parliamentarians in a letter that the “investment budget” is €5.6 billion ($6.1 billion).
Thales, Dassault Aviation and MBDA all conducted their annual investor events over the last two weeks, with the three firms collectively announcing revenues of €27.7 billion ($30.3 billion) in 2023, a massive haul for France’s defense sector.
For the army, the DGA procurement agency said it has signed a contract worth some €350 million ($378 million) with Nexter for 109 new generation Caesar (Mk II) truck-mounted guns.
Western naval leaders gathered in Paris to present their priorities — and agree that recruiting and retention are among the chief challenges of the digital age.
Sebastien Lecornu, the French armed forces minister, said the order “is excellent news for our sovereignty, our security and our armed forces who will benefit from extra Rafales with modernised operational capacities.”
A simmering dispute between London and Berlin over exporting Eurofighter Typhoons to Saudi Arabia could pave the way for Dassault’s rival Rafale offer to succeed, Eric Trappier suggested.
“There is a good working atmosphere and the deliverables are being delivered,” Major General Jean-Luc Moritz said of the French-German-Spanish future fighter system project.
“Germany is sticking to the joint [FCAS] project with France and Spain,” said a German MoD spokesperson. “Media reports that Germany is pulling out are false.”
