The French Aerospace and Defense Industries
Subtitle: changing dynamics of procurement and consolidation
By: Mark H. Donovan
Publisher: Naval Postgraduate School; Available from National Technical Information Service
Published: 1998
Place of publication: Monterey, Calif; Springfield, Va
Language: eng
Number of pages: 80
Description: France's traditions of national sovereignty and its global status as a "great power" help to explain its      investments in an independent and autonomous armaments industry. The resulting capabilities, ranging from      fighter aircraft to nuclear weapons, have helped to ensure the position of France as a leading nation during the      latter half of the twentieth century. Overcoming the inherent problems associated with state control and      oversight of the means of production, France has developed a robust manufacturing capability and has      produced, among other systems, technologically advanced designs in combat aircraft (the Rafale fighter),      space rocket launchers (the Ariane 5 launcher), and remote sensing satellites (the Helios military satellite).      However, the need to continue incorporating modem, expensive technology into French systems in the face of      budgetary cutbacks has brought the future viability of autonomous and French-led programs into question. As      a result, France and other major European nations have tried to find a common solution to consolidate each      country's aerospace and defense firms into one corporate entity that could compete effectively against the      United States. However, problems rooted in maintaining national capabilities, especially in France, have kept      this design from becoming a reality.
Notes: Thesis advisor(s): David S. Yost, Bertrand M. Patenaude.

"June 1998."

Thesis (M.A. in National Security Affairs) Naval Postgraduate School, June 1998.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 71-77).

Approved for public release; distribution unlimited.

US Navy (USN) author.

dk/dk cc:9116 9/2/98.