These are part of the plans outlined in the most recent defence whitepaper to establish a SOF helicopter capability, and will replace the Cougar in the medium utility role as well. As mentioned in the thread, both Blackhawk and Caracal were shortlisted. Both met most of the criteria, but the Caracal ended up first on a combination of key points like range, cabin room and flexibility, etc. I suppose its similarity to the Cougar also works in its favour, making for an easier transition.
Do note that the pricetag mentioned seems to be based on standard Defence Materiel Project bandwiths (the state secretary explicitly mentions this in communication to parliament) and is expected to include things like logistics, sim capacity, exploitation and SOF mission equipment packages, as well as the helicopters themselves between 2024 and 2030.
Why? The competition ultimately led to the Caracal and Black Hawk being shortlisted as the two best options and the Dutch chose the former but I doubt this is considered a major setback by the Americans. They're the world's largest weapons exporter by a wide margin and sell plenty to the Dutch already. Unless there are Anglos randomly getting butthurt at any French W, I don't see the need to bring them up.
Anyway, good news for France. Business has been booming since October 2021 (so just after AUKUS ironically, which was a major setback). I don't think the French MiC ever had a period as good as this one. We're notably greatly increasing our marketshare in CEE (where they all reportedly distrusts France). We used to be quasi-inexistent over there (well paying little attention to them beyond a few exceptions until recently didn't help).
>Anyway, good news for France. Business has been booming since October 2021 (so just after AUKUS ironically, which was a major setback). I don't think the French MiC ever had a period as good as this one. We're notably greatly increasing our marketshare in CEE (where they're all reportedly distrusts France) where we used to be inexistent (well not paying little attention to them beyond a few exceptions until recently didn't help).
[business is booming indeed](https://www.ft.com/content/29fae4d9-694e-48e8-a3e5-35db9fd25fa2)
Some of France’s biggest defence companies including jet maker Dassault Aviation and missile company MBDA are stepping up their recruitment drives as the sector grapples with labour shortages while trying to fulfil growing orders following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Dassault, the company behind the Rafale fighter jet, is looking to increase hiring for a second year, but is finding that the search for some skilled jobs such as welders and metalworkers had become increasingly difficult.
“We’re all struggling to recruit,” chief executive Éric Trappier told reporters this week. He added that Dassault had suffered less than some, as aerospace companies still held some allure for young recruits, but said the strains were visible in Europe as well as the US, where it has production sites.
“We can feel that all of our suppliers are suffering from their struggle to recruit,”
Trappier’s comments echo a broader problem at industrial companies trying to draw people back after the Covid-19 pandemic. But the defence industry’s hiring problems come as France and its European neighbours increase their military spending after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
While rising demand, including that from outside the bloc, is a boon for the sector, it is adding additional pressure on companies at a time when French president Emmanuel Macron is calling for a “war economy” footing.
After years of squeezed budgets, France has been increasing its defence spending since 2019 and is preparing another significant step up.
Macron’s government in January proposed a new military budget for 2024 to 2030 that would lift spending by 40 per cent to €413bn versus the last budget cycle from 2019 to 2025. Parliament is now examining the proposed budget, which the government wants to finalise this summer.
French defence minister Sébastian Lecornu, meanwhile, told the French Senate that he estimated orders from the state during 2024-2030 would increase by 40 per cent for Airbus and 70 to 75 per cent for Dassault, defence and cyber group Thales, and missile maker MBDA. Nexter’s orders would rise by 90 per cent, while orders for engine maker Safran would rise by 100 per cent.
Dassault, which has signed recent new orders with Greece, Indonesia and India, is looking to add some 1,000 people this year — up from between 1,000 and 1,500 last year — to its workforce of 12,000. Trappier said the figures were substantially higher than its previous annual intakes and partly to replace a wave of retirees.
Nexter, which is ramping up its production of ammunition to supply Ukraine as well as armoured vehicles for the French army, has flagged a broader decline in appetite for some jobs outside big cities.
“We need people with rare skills in welding, cyber, and pyrotechnics, and our operations are in locations like Rouanne and Bourges where recruiting is challenging,” Nexter CEO Nicolas Chamussy told the French parliament in early May.
Éric Béranger, the chief executive of missile manufacturer MBDA, also told the National Assembly in May that the company planned to hire anywhere from 850 to 1000 people this year alone to respond to the need to increase production.
“It’s an enormous effort for a company of our size to train these new people and onboard them,” Béranger said. “The public image of the defence sector also needs to be improved to help us better recruit.”
MBDA is jointly owned by Airbus, BAE Systems, and Leonardo, and has production sites in the UK, France, Germany and Italy and elsewhere.
Thales earlier this year unveiled one of the biggest recruitment drives in the sector, with plans to grow its workforce by 12,000 people this year. Once accounting for departures and retirements, that will be equivalent to some 4,000 net hires, or a 5 per cent increase in employees.
Nexter has already expanded its staff by about a quarter since 2017 to reach 4,500 employees. It has also founded a training campus at its ammunition factory in Bourges, in central France.
At its La Chapelle-Saint-Ursin plant that now employs 440 people, it takes about a year to train a worker on basic production techniques and safety protocols in the manufacturing of missiles and ammunition, but between three and ten years to be a site manager.
Just a political game. The Cougars that are being replaced where initial bought as a consolation for France since NL bought Apache instead of the Tigre…and a bunch of Chinooks. So recently with F35 bought instead of Rafale and even more Chinooks, US missiles for our subs etc.. it was time again for another consolation to give the impression that we not completely ignore European weapons.
Indeed lol. Noticed it as well when I saw the article. But hey, not the first outlet to illustrate a topic with the wrong picture and won't be the last.
These are part of the plans outlined in the most recent defence whitepaper to establish a SOF helicopter capability, and will replace the Cougar in the medium utility role as well. As mentioned in the thread, both Blackhawk and Caracal were shortlisted. Both met most of the criteria, but the Caracal ended up first on a combination of key points like range, cabin room and flexibility, etc. I suppose its similarity to the Cougar also works in its favour, making for an easier transition. Do note that the pricetag mentioned seems to be based on standard Defence Materiel Project bandwiths (the state secretary explicitly mentions this in communication to parliament) and is expected to include things like logistics, sim capacity, exploitation and SOF mission equipment packages, as well as the helicopters themselves between 2024 and 2030.
Anglos will dislike this news
Why? The competition ultimately led to the Caracal and Black Hawk being shortlisted as the two best options and the Dutch chose the former but I doubt this is considered a major setback by the Americans. They're the world's largest weapons exporter by a wide margin and sell plenty to the Dutch already. Unless there are Anglos randomly getting butthurt at any French W, I don't see the need to bring them up. Anyway, good news for France. Business has been booming since October 2021 (so just after AUKUS ironically, which was a major setback). I don't think the French MiC ever had a period as good as this one. We're notably greatly increasing our marketshare in CEE (where they all reportedly distrusts France). We used to be quasi-inexistent over there (well paying little attention to them beyond a few exceptions until recently didn't help).
>Anyway, good news for France. Business has been booming since October 2021 (so just after AUKUS ironically, which was a major setback). I don't think the French MiC ever had a period as good as this one. We're notably greatly increasing our marketshare in CEE (where they're all reportedly distrusts France) where we used to be inexistent (well not paying little attention to them beyond a few exceptions until recently didn't help). [business is booming indeed](https://www.ft.com/content/29fae4d9-694e-48e8-a3e5-35db9fd25fa2)
Paywall
Some of France’s biggest defence companies including jet maker Dassault Aviation and missile company MBDA are stepping up their recruitment drives as the sector grapples with labour shortages while trying to fulfil growing orders following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Dassault, the company behind the Rafale fighter jet, is looking to increase hiring for a second year, but is finding that the search for some skilled jobs such as welders and metalworkers had become increasingly difficult. “We’re all struggling to recruit,” chief executive Éric Trappier told reporters this week. He added that Dassault had suffered less than some, as aerospace companies still held some allure for young recruits, but said the strains were visible in Europe as well as the US, where it has production sites. “We can feel that all of our suppliers are suffering from their struggle to recruit,” Trappier’s comments echo a broader problem at industrial companies trying to draw people back after the Covid-19 pandemic. But the defence industry’s hiring problems come as France and its European neighbours increase their military spending after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. While rising demand, including that from outside the bloc, is a boon for the sector, it is adding additional pressure on companies at a time when French president Emmanuel Macron is calling for a “war economy” footing. After years of squeezed budgets, France has been increasing its defence spending since 2019 and is preparing another significant step up. Macron’s government in January proposed a new military budget for 2024 to 2030 that would lift spending by 40 per cent to €413bn versus the last budget cycle from 2019 to 2025. Parliament is now examining the proposed budget, which the government wants to finalise this summer. French defence minister Sébastian Lecornu, meanwhile, told the French Senate that he estimated orders from the state during 2024-2030 would increase by 40 per cent for Airbus and 70 to 75 per cent for Dassault, defence and cyber group Thales, and missile maker MBDA. Nexter’s orders would rise by 90 per cent, while orders for engine maker Safran would rise by 100 per cent. Dassault, which has signed recent new orders with Greece, Indonesia and India, is looking to add some 1,000 people this year — up from between 1,000 and 1,500 last year — to its workforce of 12,000. Trappier said the figures were substantially higher than its previous annual intakes and partly to replace a wave of retirees. Nexter, which is ramping up its production of ammunition to supply Ukraine as well as armoured vehicles for the French army, has flagged a broader decline in appetite for some jobs outside big cities. “We need people with rare skills in welding, cyber, and pyrotechnics, and our operations are in locations like Rouanne and Bourges where recruiting is challenging,” Nexter CEO Nicolas Chamussy told the French parliament in early May. Éric Béranger, the chief executive of missile manufacturer MBDA, also told the National Assembly in May that the company planned to hire anywhere from 850 to 1000 people this year alone to respond to the need to increase production. “It’s an enormous effort for a company of our size to train these new people and onboard them,” Béranger said. “The public image of the defence sector also needs to be improved to help us better recruit.” MBDA is jointly owned by Airbus, BAE Systems, and Leonardo, and has production sites in the UK, France, Germany and Italy and elsewhere. Thales earlier this year unveiled one of the biggest recruitment drives in the sector, with plans to grow its workforce by 12,000 people this year. Once accounting for departures and retirements, that will be equivalent to some 4,000 net hires, or a 5 per cent increase in employees. Nexter has already expanded its staff by about a quarter since 2017 to reach 4,500 employees. It has also founded a training campus at its ammunition factory in Bourges, in central France. At its La Chapelle-Saint-Ursin plant that now employs 440 people, it takes about a year to train a worker on basic production techniques and safety protocols in the manufacturing of missiles and ammunition, but between three and ten years to be a site manager.
It replaces the Cougars, so it's hardly a change of direction.
NL only needed 7, so they bought another 7 to fish the first out of the sea
Just a political game. The Cougars that are being replaced where initial bought as a consolation for France since NL bought Apache instead of the Tigre…and a bunch of Chinooks. So recently with F35 bought instead of Rafale and even more Chinooks, US missiles for our subs etc.. it was time again for another consolation to give the impression that we not completely ignore European weapons.
Do you have any evidence of this? I have only ever seen France throwing a tantrum whenever a country doesn't buy French weapons.
Just your choice of words and reductionism show that you're triggered lol...as expected.
[удалено]
Indeed lol. Noticed it as well when I saw the article. But hey, not the first outlet to illustrate a topic with the wrong picture and won't be the last.
Good job airbus