Latest news with #BenoitTessier
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
US defence firms chase European military spending wave
FILE PHOTO: An Anduril Industries Fury autonomous air vehicle (AAV) is displayed at the 55th International Paris Airshow at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France, June 17, 2025. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo PARIS - U.S. defence giants, backed by a strong Congressional delegation from Washington, used the Paris Airshow to showcase cutting-edge technologies and court European partners as they seek to tap into rising regional military spending. Many European nations have pledged to significantly increase defence budgets in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and as U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has threatened to scale back military support for the region. That tension has been notably absent at this week's Paris Airshow, where U.S. lawmakers and arms manufacturers pledged greater transatlantic partnership as Europe ramps up spending on everything from artillery shells and fighter jets to missile defence systems. "We understand that our allies and partners are a force multiplier, so we are stronger when we are working together," U.S. Senator Jerry Moran, a member of Trump's Republican party, told reporters at the show, the world's largest aerospace and defence gathering. Moran, whose delegation was supporting U.S. weapons makers, said it was in Paris to send a message that the U.S. "is a dependable and reliable partner". The conciliatory tone stands in stark contrast to the Trump administration's recent string of disparaging remarks about Europe and its defence industry. "I think antagonising our allies does not make us stronger," Democrat Senator Jeanne Shaheen told reporters in Paris, expressing her desire to cement defence relations with Europe. RELIANCE ON U.S. Despite pledges by many European nations to boost military self-sufficiency, the continent remains heavily reliant on U.S. defence manufacturers. For instance, Europe buys American-made fighter jets and missiles from Lockheed Martin, Patriot missile defence systems from Raytheon Technologies and military jets and helicopters built by Boeing. In emerging military areas, like artificial intelligence, drones and satellite constellations, U.S. tech firms like Anduril, Palantir and Elon Musk's SpaceX are far ahead. U.S. firms are hoping to press home their advantage as European military spending surges, including through partnerships which are a way to soften any potential diplomatic tensions, delegates said. U.S. drone-maker Anduril and German defence giant Rheinmetall said on Wednesday they will link up to build military drones for European markets, in a sign of Europe leveraging American technology to boost military capabilities. Thomas Laliberty, president of Land & Air Defense Systems at Raytheon, said there were no easy replacements for its weapons in Europe and he expected the firm to maintain a long-term footprint on the continent, including through new partnerships. Laliberty said Raytheon was close to announcing a plan to manufacture Stingers - a lightweight air defence missile used by Ukrainian forces against Russia - in Europe. "For immediate needs, Raytheon is well positioned to support the European demand," Laliberty told reporters in Paris. "We have a very bright future here." Boeing, which won a contract from Trump's administration to develop the next-generation F-47 fighter jet this year, said Europe and the U.S. would remain long-term partners despite political wobbles, partly to hold off the Chinese threat. "Nobody can do it themselves - maybe the Chinese can try, but certainly the rest of us, we are going to have to work together," said Turbo Sjogren, Boeing's general manager for government services. "To do otherwise takes too long and will be unaffordable." The chairman of Italian aerospace and defence group Leonardo, Stefano Pontecorvo, added that U.S. participation in some European programmes would be "unavoidable" in coming years due to the defence technologies available to them. EUROPE TOO SLOW European rivals were bullish about their future growth prospects but said budget constraints and a lack of regional alliances were holding back progress, conceding that they would continue to need significant U.S. support. "National sovereignty matters but fragmentation is detrimental. We need to find a way to hit a balance," Leonardo CEO Roberto Cingolani told reporters on Tuesday. Jean-Brice Dumont, head of air power, defence and space at Airbus, said Europe's dependence on the U.S. was "very high". "Zero dependency on the U.S. I believe is a dream. We have a need for interoperability that drives some U.S. needs," said Dumont, whose firm makes the Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet with Britain's BAE Systems and Italy's Leonardo, as well as Earth observation satellites and drones. Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said Europe had "too much bureaucracy" compared to the U.S. and needed to adapt to a new military era of faster, cheaper and more nimble technology. "Either Europe adapts its industry to these new parameters - different from those with which it has lived until four years ago - or it will have huge competitors, and not only the American ones," he said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
5 days ago
- Business
- The Star
UK invests $340 million in clean tech for air travel
View of Airbus ZEROe hydrogen-powered fuel cell engine project at the 55th International Paris Airshow at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France, June 16, 2025. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier PARIS (Reuters) -Britain said it would invest 250 million pounds ($340 million) in technology to make air travel greener, backing research into zero-emission flying, laser-beam manufacturing and cutting aircraft drag, to help boost the country's aerospace industry. Britain said the funding for research and development projects led by Airbus, Rolls-Royce and a number of smaller companies and academic partnerships, would attract more private investment into the sector and add new jobs. Industry Minister Sarah Jones is due to announce the new funding at the Paris Airshow on Tuesday, backing a number of projects which include the development of infrastructure for testing liquid hydrogen systems, fuel cell systems and developing lightweight materials. The funding announcement came ahead of the government's industrial strategy, expected to be published later this month, and which will aim to help grow the country's defence and advanced manufacturing sectors. Jones said supporting the major contractors was "incredibly important", but the government also wanted to encourage more start-ups in the sector. "Getting the supply chain of smaller businesses ready is the challenge, and that's what we want to build up in the UK," she said in an interview. Airbus UK chairman John Harrison said the funding gave the industry the confidence and stability needed to fuel innovation. "It's initiatives like these that are absolutely critical to accelerating our decarbonisation journey and advancing sustainable, cutting-edge manufacturing," he said. ($1 = 0.7351 pounds) (Reporting by Paul Sandle, writing by Sarah Young, editing by William James)
Japan Today
5 days ago
- Business
- Japan Today
Israel furious as France shuts weapons stands at Paris Airshow
View of the closed IAI stand after the four main Israeli company stands at the Paris Airshow have been shut down by organizers during the 55th Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France, June 16, 2025. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier By Paul Sandle, Giulia Segreti, Steven Scheer and Tim Hepher France shut down the main Israeli company stands at the Paris Airshow on Monday for refusing to remove attack weapons from display, sparking a furious response from Israel and inflaming tensions between the traditional allies. Stands including those of Elbit Systems, Rafael, IAI and Uvision were blocked off with black partitions before the start of the world's biggest aviation trade fair. Smaller Israeli stands, which did not have hardware on display, and an Israeli Ministry of Defense stand, remained open. France, a long-time Israeli ally, has gradually hardened its position on the government of Benjamin Netanyahu over its actions in Gaza and military interventions abroad. French President Emmanuel Macron made a distinction last week between Israel's right to protect itself, which France supports and could take part in, and strikes on Iran it did not recommend. The office of French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said it had told all exhibitors ahead of the show that offensive weapons would be prohibited from display and that Israel's embassy in Paris had agreed to this. It added that the companies could resume their exhibits if they complied with this requirement. Bayrou told reporters that given France's diplomatic stance, and "in particular its ... very great concern about Gaza", the government had felt it unacceptable for attack weapons to be on show. But Israel's defense ministry reacted with fury. "This outrageous and unprecedented decision reeks of policy-driven and commercial considerations," it said in a statement. "The French are hiding behind supposedly political considerations to exclude Israeli offensive weapons from an international exhibition - weapons that compete with French industries." The ministry later added it was filing court petitions against the decision. IAI's president and CEO, Boaz Levy, said the black partitions were reminiscent of "the dark days of when Jews were segmented from European society". Responding to France's timeline on the incident, a source familiar with the Israeli side said the French had agreed to a pre-submitted list of items from the Israelis before the show. Israel's delegation was caught "completely off guard" by guidelines at 6:30 p.m. on the eve of the show, the source added. Two U.S. Republican politicians attending the air show also criticized the French move. Talking to reporters outside the blacked-out Israeli defense stalls, U.S. Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders described the decision as "pretty absurd", while Republican Senator Katie Britt criticized it as "short-sighted". Meshar Sasson, senior vice president at Elbit Systems, accused France of trying to stymie competition, pointing to a series of contracts that Elbit has won in Europe. "If you cannot beat them in technology, just hide them right? That's what it is because there's no other explanation," he said. Rafael described the French move as "unprecedented, unjustified, and politically motivated". The diplomatic row rocked the opening of the biennial show, already in sombre mood after the crash of a Boeing 787 and fresh conflict in the Middle East, with announcements scaled back. Every two years, Le Bourget airport is transformed into a showcase for the aerospace and defence industries - its sprawling tarmac lined with fighter jets, airliners and drones and its spacious halls hosting high-tech gadgetry and weapons. A person involved in the organizing and budgeting of large company displays over many years - not connected to the French or Israelis - told Reuters that a large stand could cost up to $5 million including all the cost of freight and staff travel. The air show's organizer said in a statement that it was in talks to try to help "the various parties find a favorable outcome to the situation". Bayrou's office urged Israeli firms to "assume their responsibilities" and follow guidelines if they wanted to reopen their booths. Towards the end of the first day of the June 16-20 event, there was no immediate sign of the stands being reopened. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
GMA Network
5 days ago
- Business
- GMA Network
Israel furious as France shuts four weapons stands at Paris Airshow
View of the closed Elbit Systems stand after the four main Israeli company stands at the Paris Airshow have been shut down by organizers during the 55th Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France, June 16, 2025. REUTERS/ Benoit Tessier PARIS/JERUSALEM — France shut down the four main Israeli company stands at the Paris Airshow for refusing to remove offensive weapons from display, in a move condemned by Israel and highlighting tensions between the traditional allies. A source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday that the instruction came from French authorities after Israeli firms failed to comply with a direction from a French security agency to remove offensive or kinetic weapons from the stands. The stands were those being used by Elbit Systems, Rafael, IAI and Uvision. Three smaller Israeli stands, which didn't have hardware on display, and an Israeli Ministry of Defense stand, remain open. France, a long-time Israeli ally, has gradually hardened its position on the government of Benjamin Netanyahu over its actions in Gaza and military interventions abroad. French President Emmanuel Macron made a distinction last week between Israel's right to protect itself, which France supports and could take part in, and strikes on Iran it did not recommend. Israel's defense ministry said it had categorically rejected the order to remove some weapons systems from displays, and that exhibition organizers responded by erecting a black wall that separated the Israeli industry pavilions from others. This action, it added, was carried out in the middle of the night after Israeli defense officials and companies had already finished setting up their displays. "This outrageous and unprecedented decision reeks of policy-driven and commercial considerations," the ministry said in a statement. "The French are hiding behind supposedly political considerations to exclude Israeli offensive weapons from an international exhibition—weapons that compete with French industries." IAI's president and CEO, Boaz Levy, said the black partition walls were reminiscent of "the dark days of when Jews were segmented from European society." Two US Republican politicians attending the air show also criticized the French move. Talking to reporters outside the blacked-out Israeli defense stalls, US Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders described the decision as "pretty absurd," while Republican Senator Katie Britt criticized it as "short-sighted." The French prime minister's office did not immediately return a request for comment. Meshar Sasson, senior vice president at Elbit Systems, accused France of trying to stymie competition, pointing to a series of contracts that Elbit has won in Europe. "If you cannot beat them in technology, just hide them right? That's what it is because there's no other explanation," he said. Rafael described the French move as "unprecedented, unjustified, and politically motivated." The air show's organizer said in a statement that it was in talks to try to help "the various parties find a favorable outcome to the situation." — Reuters
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Israel furious as France shuts four weapons stands at Paris Airshow
French police walk past the Israeli pavilion at the 55th International Paris Airshow at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France, June 16, 2025. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier View of the Israeli pavilion at the 55th International Paris Airshow at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France, June 16, 2025. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier Israel furious as France shuts four weapons stands at Paris Airshow LE BOURGET, France/JERUSALEM - France has shut down the four main Israeli company stands at the Paris Airshow for apparently displaying offensive weapons, in a move condemned by Israel that highlights the growing tensions between the traditional allies. A source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday that the instruction came from French authorities after Israeli firms failed to comply with a direction from a French security agency to remove offensive or kinetic weapons from the stands. A spokesperson for Gifas, the show's organiser, said some stands were closed, but declined to comment further. Three smaller Israeli stands, which didn't have hardware on display, and an Israeli Ministry of Defence stand, remain open. France and Israel, traditionally close allies, have had frosty relations in recent months with French President Emmanuel Macron increasingly critical over Israel's war in Gaza. Following Israel's missile strikes on Iran on Friday, Macron said Iran bore a heavy responsibility for destabilising the Middle East, but also urged Israel to show restraint. Israel's defence ministry said it had categorically rejected the order to remove some weapons systems from displays, and that exhibition organisers responded by erecting a black wall that separated the Israeli industry pavilions from others. This action, it added, was carried out in the middle of the night after Israeli defence officials and companies had already finished setting up their displays. "This outrageous and unprecedented decision reeks of policy-driven and commercial considerations," the ministry said in a statement. "The French are hiding behind supposedly political considerations to exclude Israeli offensive weapons from an international exhibition - weapons that compete with French industries." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
