Xinmin Global | On the surface, the ally is actually the opponent’s “friendship”. Why is the French military industry repeatedly harmed by the United States?Fly into the homes of ordinary people
“We were stabbed in the back.” When Australia tore up its A$50 billion submarine contract with the French Naval Group (NAVAL), the French could only show their attitude like this. Because Australia’s “anti-water” mainly originated from the United States.
The United States pulls up with Britain and Australia to form the new Tri-Nation Alliance (AUKUS). The United States will assist Australia in developing nuclear-powered submarines. The Australian-French submarine project that has been implemented for nearly five years has been abolished. The French naval group, known as the “golden egg”, has suffered huge losses. .
“Snatch food” from France
Regarding this incident, the Russian “Milskbild” used the “Second Millskbil Disaster” to tease France. The unprepared French fleet killed 1,300 French soldiers, while the two armies were still fighting side by side a few days ago.
Caption: Rafale fighter jets on the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle. Source: GJ (the same below)
As early as in 2012 when the Australian government proposed the purchase of 12 submarines, French manufacturers had an absolute advantage, because the Australian Navy has always performed long-distance missions as far as the North Pacific and even the Persian Gulf. Large submarines of more than 2500 tons are not indispensable. Australia is a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the South Pacific Nuclear-Free Zone Treaty. It does not even have a nuclear power plant. It cannot use nuclear power. It can only use conventional diesel-electric submarines. At that time, only the French company DCNS had these technical conditions ( NAVAL predecessor). In 2016, Australia and France signed a submarine cooperation agreement. France will provide technology to build all submarines in Australia, which is expected to increase thousands of jobs locally.
The Australian Army has emphasized joint operations with the US Army for many years. Except for equipment that the US cannot provide, Canberra basically only chooses US-produced products. In the submarine project, Australia first obtained the consent of the United States to integrate the “brain” AN/BYG-1 combat system and the Tomahawk cruise missile on the French submarine platform before signing a large order with NAVAL. In other words, in this profitable business, a large piece of “cake” belongs to the United States, and French companies have expressed “respect” for this.
However, due to the economic downturn in the United States and the fierce competition in the international arms trade, American arms dealers have begun to covet a larger “cake.” The British “Guardian” claimed that the United States was the main “pushman” for the Australian government to change its mind. For many years, the American arms giants have watched NAVAL and other companies make a lot of money in the field of conventional submarines. Under the situation that domestic orders are currently “not enough to eat”, they have begun to “grab food” from France.
In fact, Australia’s losses are not less than those of France. The local Adelaide Shipyard (ASC) production line that has introduced French technology transformation is bound to be overturned and faces high liquidated damages. At present, France’s last hope is the election of the Australian Federal Parliament in a few months. It does not rule out that the Morrison government is replaced by others, which may bring the French-Australian contract back to life.
Repeated “Red Eye Disease” in the United States
French Foreign Minister Le Drian said that the actions of the United States “weakened” the enthusiasm of France and the European Union to intervene in Indo-Pacific affairs. The French Embassy in the United States also took quite symbolic measures to cancel the evening party commemorating the 240th anniversary of the Battle of Chesapeake on September 17. In that naval battle, the French navy, which supported the independence of the United States, defeated the British fleet and ensured that the United States annihilated the main British forces on land. Philippe Etienne, the French ambassador, reminded the Americans: “It was the French Navy that paved the way for American independence.”
France and the United States have never had a war in history. France has supported the independence of the United States. The United States helped France win the two world wars and is now a NATO ally. However, in the face of the “zero-sum game” of real money, no matter how hard it is, buddies will turn their faces. This is particularly straightforward in NAVAL.
Caption: In 2014, the “Northwest Wind” amphibious assault ship made by France for Russia failed to be delivered.
Every time NAVAL makes a foreign trade business, it almost always attracts “red eye disease” in the United States. In 2011, after the active promotion of the French government, the French Navy Group signed a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense for two “Northwest Wind” amphibious assault ships. The $1.5 billion transaction is particularly important for Saint-Nazaire, the production base of the French Naval Group, where the unemployment rate is as high as 14% due to the sluggish business. When the contract was signed, the local people waved the Russian flag like a carnival, and the famous “Norway” cafe was also busy adjusting the recipe, adding vodka, caviar, pickles and other varieties. Looking forward to the Russian sailors who will be trained here.” Get a vote”. But at the end of 2014, when the first ship was about to be completed and the second ship was launched, the Crimean crisis broke out, and the United States and its NATO allies joined in sanctions against Russia. At first, France did not want to break the contract, but the United States used various means to pressure, and finally French President Hollande announced that it would stop delivering to Russia. The breach of contract caused France to pay a huge price, and the amount of compensation alone exceeded 1.1 billion euros.
“President Hollande gave in. This is a day of mourning for us to stay away from the country’s independence.” Philip Mego, an expert at the Institute of International and Strategic Relations in Paris, France, said that this action caused serious damage to the reputation of France’s arms exports. However, the French found that at this moment, the United States was not blushing and sitting back and watching its domestic enterprises sell dual-use products to Russia by means of “indirect trade.”
Regardless of the fact that the United States and France always shout “transatlantic friendship is unbreakable”, in the arms market, the two sides have never been sympathetic. Especially after the outbreak of the financial crisis in 2008, the United States combined the consolidation of its geopolitical influence with the capture of economic profits. The common method used was rapid and large-scale arms sales. The US “First Defense” website stated that “allowing wealthy Europeans, Australians, Arabs, Japanese and even Koreans to buy more American weapons is an important means to revitalize the US economy.” For every US$130 billion in arms produced in the United States, 1% of GDP (gross domestic product) growth can be driven; for every US$1 billion in additional orders, tens of thousands of jobs can be solved.
Single hidden danger of weapons
The arms orders that the United States has won are often “in the bag” of its French partners. The most prominent case is the “arms grabbing” battle in Qatar. In June 2016, Qatar agreed to purchase 24 Rafale fighters from France, but the intention to purchase the next 12 fighters was delayed. The reason was that the United States had been engaged in “small moves” and restricted the manufacture of cruise missiles supporting the fighters.
French Defense Minister Parley once revealed that France is subject to the US “International Transport of Arms Regulations” (ITAR), and it is difficult to install small engines monopolized by the United States for exported cruise missiles. Due to the high resistance at low altitudes, cruise missiles can only use fuel-efficient turbofan engines. To make turbofan engines small enough, the core section of the engine must be reduced as much as possible. At present, only the United States can produce turbofan engines with a diameter of less than 533 mm in the West. Two companies. At the end of 2017, Qatar decided to repurchase 36 American-made F-15QA fighter jets, and the potential market for the French was completely blocked.
Caption: In May 2018, French Prime Minister Macron (second from left) and Australian Prime Minister Turnbull (third from left) stood on the deck of the Australian Navy’s Corinth-class “Waller” submarine.
The same encounter also occurred in the French-led European Airbus Defense and Space Division, which tried to export AC-295 gunboats to third world countries, but the key weapon modules depend on US support, including the M230 produced by the US ATK company. Type 30mm cannon, American Raytheon’s AGM-114 “Hellfire” anti-tank missile and rocket launching nest, etc., as long as it involves the sale of the same type of American AC-130J gunboat aircraft, the French will all come back. Although the A400M transport aircraft promoted by Airbus is superior to the American C-130J in terms of throughput and field take-off and landing capabilities, the United States holds the “brain” of the aircraft-the writing of most of the software versions of the wire guidance control system. Therefore, the lifeblood of this so-called “military aircraft with driving quality comparable to civil aircraft” is actually in the hands of others. French military products seem to give customers a “second choice” in addition to US military products, but due to common equity participation, mergers and acquisitions, and technology exchange activities in the Western world, the technical independence of French defense suppliers is actually not as good as before.
Parley pointed out that the United States is the world leader in arms exports, accounting for more than 30% of total world arms sales. Especially in recent years, the United States has continued to simplify the arms sales process, shorten the time from customer requirements to signing, and relax restrictions on the sale of sophisticated weapons. The arms business in France is getting harder and harder.
Analysts said that arms sales are one of the main levers for the United States to intervene in hotspots and inject power. Once it purchases American weapons, it must receive U.S. military tactical training, technical upgrades, and intelligence support, otherwise it will be difficult to exert weapon combat effectiveness. From this perspective, the arms sales contract is like a military covenant in disguise. In contrast, France and other European countries, after the end of the Cold War, they focused on their own conditions and specific security areas. Traditional R&D and procurement cooperation has gradually become fragmented, and the R&D and procurement of weapons and equipment has gradually become a single task and cannot be used universally. This has led to European defense cooperation. There is a tendency to break up and to do things independently, which together make weapons impossible to use due to their single mission, making them even more uncompetitive in the international market.
Text/Xinmin Evening News reporter Wu Jian, special writer Zhang Shaohua
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