Italy, France and Germany yesterday agreed to develop a European drone programme for reconnaissance and surveillance, seeking to inject momentum into a proposal first considered in 2013 to reduce reliance on US and Israeli technology.
In a joint signing ceremony, the defence ministers of the three countries pledged a two-year study to lay the basis for a European drone to be operating by 2025 and said Spain and Poland had expressed interest in joining the plan.
“It’s a very important step for European cooperation, a critical cooperation which we must have at our disposal in many theatres of operation,” French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said, alongside his German and Italian counterparts.
Competing national needs, corporate rivalry and a lack of government support have undermined past efforts. Large drones operated by European armed forces are mostly based on US or Israeli designs, creating a dependence on foreign technology that some European companies and officials see as bad for European industry and military capabilities. Airbus, Dassault and Alenia Aermacchi are likely to develop the drones.
