Just a few days ago, Spiegel reported that KNDS would take over a railway car plant to produce components for the RCH 155 and Leopard 2 there. The commitment, scheduled to be finalized today with a firm contract in the presence of Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, is a stark example of the trend towards "beating of plowshares into swords" going on in Europe amidst turbulent security landscape.
Another news from a similar perspective has been published today. France considers involving the automotive industry in expanding the production of drones for the national armed forces, Army Recognition reports citing French newspaper L'Opinion.
Read more: KNDS Will Buy a Legendary Railcar Plant to Produce Parts For RCH 155 and Leopard 2
This option is currently under discussion at the Directorate General of Armaments (DGA), a procurement agency of the French Ministry of Defense.
At this point, this suggestion remains but an element of a broader effort in the search for new solutions to increase the volume and pace of defense production, alongside looking towards other industries accustomed to high-volume output such as chemical, energy, and agricultural sectors.
The DGA faces a rather unusual challenge because up to this point, the French defense industry has been oriented towards high-tech equipment manufactured at relatively slow production cycles. However, russia's full-scale war against Ukraine has shown that a different approach is far more reliable now: that is, mass production and technological simplicity.
Defense Express adds, despite the shift of viewpoint, the DGA's quest in search for new solutions may be slowed down because of the mindset still prevailing among French officials. At this stage, they assume that, first things first, they need to find a leverage to enable mass production of UAVs for the army, and only then can they start thinking of commissioning orders to the national industry.
This logic is muck like putting the cart before the horse, as the representatives from the Western defense industry have repeatedly insisted in their speeches that orders for products should come first, and only afterward, the required capacities should be deployed.
Read more: France, Inspired by Ukraine’s Experience, Modernizes Old Anti-Aircraft Automatic Cannons to Combat UAVs
