Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury leads a group that is not content to be the world leader in civil aviation. He is also a key figure in the European space and defense industry and said: Le Monde At a time when wars on the EU's borders raise serious questions about European sovereignty.
After two years of war in Ukraine, what lessons have been learned from the conflict for Airbus and the defense industry in general?
We are clearly entering a new cycle and many things are starting to change. The defense budget is recovering after four decades of decline, even as the health crisis makes solving the budget equation more difficult. Defense is regaining its rightful place as a guarantee of sovereignty, independence and prosperity, and at European level we are no longer embroiled in bizarre debates about whether defense is 'sustainable'. The facts are clear for all to see when powerful and aggressive neighbors refocus on the need to protect themselves. We are seeing large financial institutions, as well as private banks, talking to each other to reverse the trend of unprecedented disengagement. Funding for the defense sector has been legalized again.
On March 5, the European Commission called on its 27 member states to make investments and joint purchases to reduce dependence on the United States and strengthen their sovereignty. Are these efforts reliable and sufficient?
Europe should be recognized for its efforts to build a framework for greater cooperation. What we have presented is a step in the right direction and we hope that countries will use it for joint projects. However, due to budget constraints, in the short term, munitions, artillery, and new battlefields to integrate (cyber, space, etc.) are prioritized. Defense is the sole responsibility of each country. Europe cannot decide for others. I would also add that the programs launched need to be successful.
Isn't the future air combat system (SCAF) threatened by competing projects?
A lot of effort has gone into building the seven pillars of the SCAF (aircraft, UAVs, engines, combat cloud, etc.), which are not expected to come into force until 2040. We must therefore continue to support existing capacity and development. It is deployed on fighter aircraft such as the Rafale and Eurofighter. At the same time, we must continue to secure funding for the later stages of SCAF. Failure to do so will cause problems. Rather than building Europe's defenses, we will continue to fragment it, as we did with the Rafale, the Eurofighter and the Swedish Gripen. It may be time for new partners to join the SCAF (French, German, Spanish projects) or GCAP (UK, Italian, Japanese) programs.
This article still has 71.4% left. The rest are exclusive to subscribers.
