PARIS, July 13. /TASS/. French President Emmanuel Macron says the European Union needs to expand weapons production to better counter recognized threats.
"Amid the existing threats, our entire defense industry must mobilize to be able to quickly shift its focus to the production of reliable equipment, and be prepared for mass production of certain types of weapons when necessary. The war in Ukraine and the risks identified in the National Strategic Review clearly demonstrate that strategic stability in Europe today rests on [production] flows rather than on stockpiles. Adversaries will be deterred not by existing arsenals, but by the ability to manufacture them," he said in an address to the French army, as quoted by his press service.
He admitted that the French-German program for the development of a new-generation fighter jet under the SCAF/FCAS Future Combat Air Systems project was a flop but noted that "it would be wrong to stop at what has been achieved." He called for continuing the development of a main battle tank, modern air defense systems, in particular the SAMP-T NG surface-to-air missile system, early warning systems, as well as deep-strike capabilities "that would be consistent with the strategy of advanced deterrence" adopted by France.
