Naval Group multiplies contracts in a context of global tensions

War in Ukraine, tensions in the China Sea and the Red Sea… While high-intensity conflicts are making a comeback, States are accelerating in terms of rearmament. France, despite its critical financial situation, provides as part of its 2025 finance bill an envelope of 50.5 billion euros for its armies, an increase of 3.3 billion compared to the finance law initial of 2024 and its military programming law 2024-2030. A buoyant context for the defense industry, like Naval Group which has been increasing its contracts for two years. And a dynamic with economic repercussions for its various sites, particularly in Brittany, Lorient and Brest.

Greece, Belgium, Netherlands…

Still on the surface ships side, the French company chaired by Pierre Éric Pommellet has signed a contract with the Belgian and Dutch navies for twelve mine-fighting boats (six for each), with a first outing at sea this summer. The program is developed in partnership with the Piriou shipyards in Concarneau. The first ship, for Belgium, must be delivered in the summer of 2025. In terms of exports, Naval Group also recently sold 11 Gowind corvettes, the most recent order dating from June with the United Arab Emirates.

Submarines

But Naval Group is not just about ships. The cancellation in 2021 by Australia of a mega order for twelve submarines had shone the spotlight on this other activity of the industrialist. An episode from which he recovered well. Because in the meantime, it has delivered two nuclear-powered Barracudas to the French Navy – the Suffren and the Duguay-Trouin – before a third at the end of the year (the Tourville).

Naval Group has launched construction of the first missile-launching submarine of the SNLE 3G program. (Photo Naval Group)

At the same time, a contract was signed with the Netherlands for four submarines from the same Barracuda family, this time with conventional propulsion. The first two should be delivered within ten years. Internationally, other orders have been placed with Indonesia, India and Brazil. For these last two countries, “these are two good examples of technology transfer whose principle consists of producing submarines locally,” explains Naval Group, also citing Poland as a prospect.

This shower of signed and future contracts is at the heart of the presentations made during the Euronaval show, which opened this Monday and which runs until November 7 in Paris Nord Villepinte. An unmissable biennial event for the industrialist. “It is the largest naval defense exhibition in the world. It’s a moment of exchange, of dialogue and that generates a lot of creativity,” underlines a spokesperson for a group which employs 16,300 employees (full-time equivalent) for a turnover of 4.2 billion euros.