A Further Step in French-British Cooperation in the Field of Drones

France, UK to Study UCAV Demonstrator, But No MALE
On 24 July 2012, the French Minister of Defence, Jean-Yves Le Drian and his British counterpart, Philip Hammon, met in London to instill a new impetus to the Lancaster House agreements, which were signed in 2010. This was the second time the ministers have met since Le Drian took office, after a first working meeting during the NATO summit in Chicago, 20-21 May 2012.

This initial visit by the French DefMin follows a fruitful meeting, on 10 July, between French President François Hollande and UK PM Minister David Cameron, and reinforces the unprecedented cooperation between our two countries.

The Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the treaties linking the two countries, convinced that cooperation is crucial at a time when defence budgets are constrained. Greater interoperability between the British and French Armed Forces would reinforce the quality of the French-British partnership, whether in terms of bilateral relations, within the EU, or the Alliances.

Le Drian and Hammond committed to reinforce their defence relations, and welcomed the signature of two major framework agreements (MoUs) by Peter Muff, the British Minister for Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), and Laurent Collet-Billon, Director-General of Armaments (DGA), thereby taking a further step in French-British cooperation in the field of drones.

The first agreement launches the initial phase of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) demonstrator programme.

The second concerns cooperation on the WATCHKEEPER tactical drone.

In parallel, regarding the UAV sector, the Ministers also discussed possible military cooperation between specialised units that operate the same systems.

The Ministers have taken note of the progress in our cooperation in the nuclear field, and saluted the ongoing work to establish a Combined Joint Expeditionary Force (CJEF), as well as the Corsican "Lion" exercise, which will take place in October 2012. The two ministers also agreed to meet again, in France, on this occasion.

France and the UK are determined to open the road to European cooperation so as to respond to future capability requirements. The Ministers agreed that cooperation of specific programs could include other close allies, having similar capabilities and contributions, as soon as it becomes feasible and opportune.

WATCHKEEPER (Photo: Thales)