Rheinmetall calls on the EU to create leaders in defense technology
The head of Germany's largest military contractor Rheinmetall, Armin Papperger, has called on EU countries to abandon the advantage of national champions and create larger and more specialized defense groups to compete with American companies.
This was reported by the Financial Times.
He said that if Europe wants closer cooperation in the defense sector, countries need to specialize in different types of military technologies.
"It doesn't make much sense if we say, choose the second or third best technology because one country wants it. This is the most difficult discussion they have at the governmental level. We need big companies in Europe," he said.
European arms companies compete with each other, military budgets are controlled at the national level, and individual countries seek to retain control of strategic supply chains, factories, jobs, and technological advantages.
One example of successful cross-border cooperation is Europe's largest missile manufacturer, MBDA, owned by the British company BAE Systems and the European aviation concern Airbus, which hold 37.5 percent of the shares, with the remaining share owned by the Italian company Leonardo.
The issue of defense industry development has become very relevant for Europe in recent years. In particular, this is due to the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine and the need to help Kyiv.
