PARIS — ArianeGroup, the French maker of the Ariane 6 space launcher and the M51 submarine-launched ballistic missile, is studying the possibility of manufacturing ballistic missiles in Germany, the company’s chief executive officer, Christophe Bruneau, told Les Echos.
Bruneau continues to believe in French-German cooperation “more than ever,” despite setbacks around programs for a future fighter aircraft and future main battle tank, he said in a joint interview with the French daily and Germany’s Handelsblatt published Thursday.
In areas of mutual interest to the French and the Germans, ArianeGroup “as a French-Germany company can bring joint solutions, particularly in defense,” according to Bruneau, who became CEO of the company at the start of April, after previously heading Safran’s military engines business. ArianeGroup is jointly owned by Airbus and Safran.
“Everyone in Europe is convinced that we need options for conventional ballistic missile for deep strike given the expansion of conflicts,” Bruneau said.
France has budgeted €1 billion (US$1.2 billion) to start work on a land-based ballistic missile with a range of 2,500 kilometers, as part of an update of its defense spending plan. The published goal to have the capability in 2035, though the country’s Directorate General for Armament plans to accelerate the work to allow for a date closer to 2030.
The country in October introduced a modernized version of the M51 strategic ballistic missile that equips the submarines in France’s ocean-based nuclear deterrent, with ArianeGroup in charge of missile design and propulsion.
ArianeGroup is ready to respond to the requirements of political and military authorities, and has started discussions with Germany and France, the CEO told Les Echos. Bruneau said one of his goals is to strengthen German development in the company, though Germany taking a stake in ArianeGroup “is not on the table.”
The company has launch availability on Ariane 6 from 2028, and plans to increase the number of launches to between seven and eight this year before increasing to 10 a year, with each launch able to bring more than 30 satellites into Low-Earth Orbit, according to Bruneau.
The CEO said the value of Ariane 6 is to provide Europe independent access to space, including for military satellites.
Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.
