Military equipment, a lifeline for our aeronautics industry

New military contract of 600 million euros for the French Thales, from the Australian army. Axel de Tarlé: can military orders save our aeronautics industry? 

Yes, it is unfortunate to say, but, failing to manufacture planes to go on vacation, we will manufacture planes to make war. France is the world number three in the Defense industry. And there is a lot of aeronautics. We are of course thinking of the Rafales. In Mérignac, the Dassault factories have yet to supply 36 to India. And then, there is all the equipment that goes with it. As you said, the Australian army, which has already ordered twelve submarines from us, ordered the Frenchman Thales on Monday for more than 600 million euros in ammunition. 

Yes, but Axel: with ammunition, we are quite far from Airbus planes. It is not the same thing to manufacture war material and civil aircraft.

Yes, you have the same technology, upstream. Moreover, the entire aeronautical sector works for the civil and the military. Dassault manufactures Rafales and private jets (the Falcons). Ditto for Airbus which manufactures civil and combat aircraft (the Eurofighter). 

This also applies to suppliers. At Thales, which we were talking about, you have 30,000 researchers who design, for example, the cockpit of the future, full of artificial intelligence, which allows to optimize flight time, to adjust the route in real time, according to traffic , weather and various obstacles. This type of technology is used in both the military and the civilian. 

So let's see the bright side, even if it is obviously a more questionable industry, these military orders will allow the sector to save furniture, to back up, and above all, keep our skills, our engineers, and therefore, the excellence of this sector. Remember, this is THE specialty of France. Aeronautics is the largest surplus item in our foreign trade. 29 billion euros, last year.