European Union (EU) leaders and their institutions must agree on much stronger security-of-supply initiatives if they are serious about capability development and preserving Europe's defence technological base, warns the sector's largest industry lobby: the AeroSpace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD).
"Contrary to perceptions, we can't rely on export markets to sustain our industry [in an era of declining defence budgets in Europe] in the long run," Jan Pie, ASD's secretary general, told IHS Jane's on 27 April. "All emerging markets want to build up their own industrial base, meaning technology transfer is part of the game. That is OK, but it could cut off our feet in the future because they would be in a position to compete with us one day.
