Defense ministers from both countries hailed progress on industrial workshare for a project that they say “will be a real technological breakthrough in ground combat systems.”

Sébastien Lecornu said he’s “expecting some effort from industrialists,” or else.

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.

The companies said they aim to work together on cyber defenses and other “critical [defense] systems” to strengthen Europe’s defense industrial base.

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.

Ukraine has bought a handful of the weapons, and French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu said Paris is seeking financing for dozens more.

John Cockerill says it is targeting an annual turnover of €1 billion ($1.1 billion) with this acquisition.

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.”

“They need us, and we need them…” France’s new naval chief of staff, Adm. Nicolas Vaujour, told journalists of Australia and its AUKUS partners.

After a high-level meeting, both stressed a separate European Defense Fund effort is no competition for the Main Ground Combat System.