Whether they are “spy”, “carrier” or combat, drones and the multitude of applications they offer are booming. Today, drones are fully integrated into military or surveillance operations. The latest technological advances enable them to operate in missions such as air combat, naval mine action, strategic intelligence and ground troop evacuation. Europe has launched a MALE military UAV program with a first delivery planned for 2025.

The military UAV market is estimated at $28 billion in R&D and $84 billion in equipment purchases over the next decade. More than 80,000 military drones will be in service in the next 10 years, according to IHS Jane’s.

Challenges:

• Stay at the forefront of innovation in a highly competitive market (> 20 producing countries)
• Ensure the control and security of drones, which are increasingly autonomous
• Identify new applications

The global geopolitical situation encourages the proliferation of export contracts, which are often accompanied by offsets with client countries. Industrialists are seeking to strengthen transnational synergies in order to pool R&D efforts for the development of increasingly sophisticated weapons systems.

In 2018, French arms exports are expected to exceed €10 billion. In parallel, European manufacturers are collaborating on the operational development of two strategic projects by 2030-2040: the future European battle tank (EMBT) and the future European fighter aircraft (SCAF).

Challenges:

• Support industrial transfers in the client country
• Remain agile in an international cooperation project
• Ensure support over the entire product life cycle (modifications, logistical support, maintenance in operational condition, etc.)

In both maritime transport and military marine, the shipbuilding industry sector is strengthening the development of innovative solutions (e.g. artificial intelligence, cyber security, etc.) and digital manufacturing solutions (e.g. Industry 4.0, augmented reality, etc.). The time to market (design and construction) of a ship will be considerably reduced. The ship of tomorrow will be more interconnected and much more automated, while offering greater operational capabilities (e.g. autonomy). It will also have a better availability rate thanks to predictive maintenance, 3D printing of spare parts on board, and faster modernization operations.

Global ship order books are estimated at $180 billion in 2018, including $35 billion in Europe and $11.5 billion in France (GICAN).
With 3D printing technology, manufacturing process times can be halved and material savings can reach up to 30%.

Challenges:

• Integrate industry 4.0 to find a new way to organize the means of production (collaborative PLM software platform, automation, monitoring interface, AR/VR…)
• Master digital skills (Big Data, Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence, IoT network…)
• Experiment with disruptive solutions and new services (e.g. Chatbot, autonomous ship…)