France

The French government has signed an eight-year contract with Eutelsat to assure for Eutelsat OneWeb services to bridge to the European IRIS2 secure satellite. communications systems and add capacity.

A small French aviation startup unveiled a partnership with Taiwan’s state-owned aerospace manufacturer on the opening day of the Eurosatory trade show June 15.

Germany says planning is underway for what comes next after its fighter partnership with France fizzled.

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

France Orders Nuclear Cruise Missile, Eyeing 2035 Service Entry

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says France and Germany are set to agree on new defense cooperation efforts next month despite their split on a future combat aircraft.

MTU Aero Engines is urging the French and German governments to take “necessary steps” to preserve the expertise and industrial capabilities created to support the development of an advanced powerplant for a European sixth-generation combat aircraft.

Four companies are forming a joint venture (JV) to create a large-scale French sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) plant in Dunkirk, France.

Travel between France and Canada is proving resilient amid the Iran war and related fuel price crisis.

France has conducted tests of the Airbus H225M Caracal helicopter in a counterdrone role using onboard machine guns.

Worried about budgetary pressure on research and technology (R&T) support, France’s aerospace industry is advocating sustained, strong government funding.

Vast will fly two French astronauts on two separate missions scheduled for 2027, and will establish its European headquarters in Paris, the space technology company announced June 1.

Israel’s government has described a French government decision to bar Israel’s defense ministry from taking part in the upcoming Eurosatory defense show as “disgraceful.”

PLD Space will spend €35 million at the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, and Venturi Space announced plans to develop more space vehicles.

Switzerland says binding bids are in to field an air and missile defense system to gap fill and augment the delayed delivery of U.S. Patriot systems.

Airbus Defense and Space CEO Michael Schöllhorn hopes France and Germany will finally resolve the path forward for the New Generation Fighter program by ILA.

Business jets used to fly military VIPs. Now they are being pressed into front-line duty.

Thales and ArianeGroup have flown the ground-launched FLP-T 150 missile in support of France’s desire to field such a weapon to quickly employ conventional warheads.

The French Navy has taken delivery of the first of three Pilatus PC-24 aircraft from Jet Aviation.

The Exploration Company is looking to begin trials of a flight-representative reusable cryogenic liquid oxygen‑methane engine next year.

The business case for a proposed new carrier in France epitomizes the narrowing but possibly valuable space left to regional air transport operators in Europe.

DSNA is gearing up to offer free route airspace at or above 19,500 ft. (Flight Level 195 or FL195) over the country’s entire territory in 2028.

Airbus expects the Eurodrone uncrewed aircraft program to survive even absent French participation.

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Dassault Aviation’s Vortex spaceplane demonstrator will use Arkadia Space-made thrusters for in-orbit maneuvering, the supplier said.