“With 11.7 billion euros in order intake in 2021, France recorded its third highest level in terms of arms exports. It is already certain that the year 2022 will also be marked by significant results”, writes the Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu in the introduction to this report.
The latter must be presented by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, the Economy and the Armed Forces during a hearing behind closed doors at the National Assembly on September 27. Another hearing is also to be held in the Senate.
This result confirms France as the world’s third largest exporter of military equipment, behind the United States and Russia.
It comes after a year of decline in 2020 (4.9 billion euros) due to constraints linked to the health crisis and exceeds the volume of order intake in 2019 (8.3 billion). French arms companies did better only in 2015 (16.9 billion) and 2016 (13.9 billion) thanks to Rafale sales.
In 2021, it is again contracts for Dassault’s combat aircraft which are at the origin of the rebound: France has sold six new and twelve used aircraft to Greece, twelve second-hand to Croatia and 30 additional new Rafale to Egypt.
In total, aeronautics accounted for nearly 70% of order intake, against the usual 30%.
Other major contracts include the sale of 52 Caesar guns to the Czech Republic as well as ten H145M helicopters, radar and surface-to-air systems to Serbia, according to the report. The base of small contracts (less than 200 million euros) reached 4.1 billion euros.
According to Challenges, Egypt was the first customer of Paris with 4.5 billion orders taken, ahead of Greece, Croatia, India and Saudi Arabia.
Exports to Europe, towards which France is seeking to redirect its activity, represented 38% of order intake in 2021.
The year 2022 should also be buoyant for French exports. These include the 80 Rafale mega-contract for the Emirates as well as the sale of six additional aircraft and three frigates to Greece.
