Latest news with #NavalGroup
LeMonde
3 days ago
- Business
- LeMonde
Macron tries to promote his 'third way' in Indonesia
Emmanuel Macron departed Indonesia on Thursday, May 29, hand in hand with his wife, Brigitte, bidding farewell from the presidential A330 to his host, Prabowo Subianto. The French president was concluding the second leg of a Southeast Asian tour that had taken him to Vietnam earlier in the week and would take him to Singapore, where he was set to open the Shangri-La Dialogue, a summit on industry and defense, on Friday. Alongside the ceremonial honors extended by the Indonesian president, Macron secured a collection of partnership promises and business commitments, in areas from agri-food to cinema, allowing France to tap into what he called the "new Indonesian wave." The Elysée said "€17 billion in contracts" were signed in Jakarta, without disclosing any details about the deals. In the defense sector, Paris had hoped to sell additional Rafale fighter jets, following an order of 42 aircraft in 2022. For now, Indonesia only signed a letter of intent on Wednesday, committing to purchase "additional Rafales from Dassault, as well as light frigates, Scorpène submarines from Naval Group and Caesar cannons and their munitions from KNDS France," Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on X (formerly Twitter).
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Europe is plagued by too many naval yards, French Navy chief says
PARIS — Europe has too many naval shipyards competing for business, and the industry needs to consolidate to a handful of players than can win export contracts, French Navy Chief of Staff Adm. Nicolas Vaujour said in a parliamentary hearing last week. The Naviris joint venture between Italy's Fincantieri and France's Naval Group, created in 2020 and meant as a first step in wider European naval consolidation, 'unfortunately didn't quite live up to expectations,' Vaujour told the National Assembly's defense committee on Wednesday. 'Today in Europe, we have around 14 shipyards that are competing with each other pretty much everywhere,' Vaujour said. 'In an ideal world, we would have three or four that challenge each other, but would above all be winning export market share abroad.' Europe lacks a single naval strategy, with countries having their national strategies and struggling to converge, the French Navy commander said. With governments keen to safeguard regional industrial activity and economies, political initiatives are probably not the way to consolidating military shipbuilding, according to Vaujour. 'We have the political ambition to be more coherent, from an industrial point of view, and to divvy up the market a little, so to say,' Vaujour said. 'But the reality is, we all agree here that if we must choose between Naval Group and Fincantieri, obviously it's Naval Group. And when you're in Italy, they of course say Fincantieri.' France also wants to protect the smaller naval yards along its coast, such as Piriou, Socarenam and CMN, according to the admiral. That means creating a naval equivalent of European aircraft maker Airbus would depend on the shipbuilding companies first and foremost, 'that is, if they manage to merge,' Vaujour told lawmakers. 'We didn't succeed with Fincantieri.' When Naval and Fincantieri created Naviris, they said the joint venture would serve the French and Italian navies, but also pursue export opportunities outside Europe and be a leader in shipbuilding consolidation. While Naviris won part of a €1.5 billion contract to upgrade the French-Italian Horizon-class frigates in 2023, success in the latter two areas has been more elusive. France and Italy have 'very, very different' strategies for shipbuilding and vessel size, according to Vaujour. France has been moving towards smaller frigates, with the newest Frégate de Défense et d'Intervention, or FDI, displacing 4,500 metric tons, whereas Italy's new PPA offshore patrol vessel displaces 7,000 tons and the DDX destroyer design is for 14,000 tons, Vaujour said. 'We consider that the size is a little too large,' Vaujour said. He said the FDI is drawing interest from European countries because the frigate is suitable for small navies, an accessible vessel that can be operated by a small crew. 'So we have divergence in our vision of the vessel of the future.' France and Italy also use different economic models, with the Italians buying 'a lot of ships' for their navy that they can resell, allowing to rapidly fill potential export orders, according to Vaujour. The French are in discussion with Naval Group about ordering a 'blank hull' that would be either available for export, or join the French fleet ahead of schedule if there's no buyer, Vaujour said. Naval Group currently has a minimum production rate of one FDI per year at its yard in Lorient, and says it can raise capacity to two per year, according to the admiral. France has ordered five FDI frigates from Naval Group, with the lead vessel of the class Amiral Ronarc'h completing sea trails last month. The first of three FDI frigates for the Hellenic Navy, HS Kimon, started sea trails on May 21 in Lorient. 'The first thing partners interested in the FDI ask about is the lead time – how soon can you supply me with a frigate?' Vaujour said. 'That's the only question the Norwegians, Swedes, and Danes ask when they ask for the FDI: `When can you deliver?'' Naval Group is convinced of the blank hull concept, while the Directorate General for Armament considers the model 'really relevant,' Vaujour said. He said the idea of ordering an FDI hull without a guaranteed buyer does carry risk, and the Finance Ministry still requires convincing. 'The acceleration of new contracts, we have to be able to do that,' Vaujour said. 'Lorient is capable of moving to two per year, and we can help with that.' A recent partnership agreement between Naval Group and Norway's Kongsberg should be seen in the context of a potential sale of frigates to the Royal Norwegian Navy, according to Vaujour. Norway is 'quite interested' in the FDI, which is in competition with British, German and Italian designs, and should France win the deal, there will be work sharing with Kongsberg, Vaujour said.
Bloomberg
20-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
French Prosecutors Claim Najib Had Role in 2002 Submarine Deal Bribes
French financial prosecutors alleged in an investigative document last year that former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak met defense-company executives to prepare contracts before the 2002 signing of a $1.2 billion submarine deal. Those contracts, they say in the document seen by Bloomberg News, were designed to remunerate himself and others. The allegation came to light as part of a summary by French financial prosecutors of a wider case that has engulfed French defense firm Thales SA and also DCN International (DCNI), an entity that's now part of Paris-based Naval Group. In the document, which isn't public, the Parquet National Financier recommended a criminal trial for former Najib adviser Abdul Razak Baginda and other individuals involved in the case, as well as DCNI, Thales and two other Thales entities.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Romania to acquire warships to strengthen NATO eastern flank
BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romania's Supreme Defence Council on Friday approved a plan to add new small warships to its fleet, part of wider efforts to strengthen its role in the Black Sea and on NATO's eastern flank. The European Union and NATO member - which shares the longest land border with Ukraine - cancelled in 2023 a long-delayed deal to buy four warships from French firm Naval Group after the company and a junior partner failed to meet a deadline to sign a contract. Naval Group won the contract to build four Gowind navy corvettes for Romania and renovate two existing frigates for 1.2 billion euros but the deal was held up, first by legal challenges and then by it failing to reach an understanding with its junior partner over rising costs. "Council members analyzed and approved equipping the Romanian Navy with a new warship, a light corvette type able to execute in the shortest time a multitude of missions," the defence council said in a statement, adding it has tasked the defence ministry with starting the acquisition process. No further details were provided. Romania's navy is the least modernised of its military branches. The country currently says it plans to raise defence spending to as much as 2.5% of economic output this year from a little over 2.2% in 2024. Romania's defence spending could reach 3% of GDP in stages in one to two years, interim president Ilie Bolojan said last month.
Reuters
28-03-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Romania to acquire warships to strengthen NATO eastern flank
BUCHAREST, March 28 (Reuters) - Romania's Supreme Defence Council on Friday approved a plan to add new small warships to its fleet, part of wider efforts to strengthen its role in the Black Sea and on NATO's eastern flank. The European Union and NATO member - which shares the longest land border with Ukraine - cancelled in 2023 a long-delayed deal to buy four warships from French firm Naval Group after the company and a junior partner failed to meet a deadline to sign a contract. Naval Group won the contract to build four Gowind navy corvettes for Romania and renovate two existing frigates for 1.2 billion euros but the deal was held up, first by legal challenges and then by it failing to reach an understanding with its junior partner over rising costs. "Council members analyzed and approved equipping the Romanian Navy with a new warship, a light corvette type able to execute in the shortest time a multitude of missions," the defence council said in a statement, adding it has tasked the defence ministry with starting the acquisition process. No further details were provided. Romania's navy is the least modernised of its military branches. The country currently says it plans to raise defence spending to as much as 2.5% of economic output this year from a little over 2.2% in 2024. Romania's defence spending could reach 3% of GDP in stages in one to two years, interim president Ilie Bolojan said last month.
