Europe has woken up when rearma. The geopolitical pressure, the war in Ukraine and the growing strategic autonomy promoted from Brussels have put the European defense industry in the center of the board. But the numbers still reflect a considerable disadvantage against the United States.
According to the latest annual reports, the four American giants –Lockheed Martin, Boeing Military, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman– They tripled the business of their European peers In 2024: they invoiced 188.8 billion eurosin front of the 60.1 billion euros of companies like Rheinmetall, Thales, Leonardo and Airbus Defense and Space.
Accelerated growth in Europe
Despite the disadvantage in absolute figures, Europe shows muscle. The European defense industry grew by 14% in a single yearwhile the American recorded a 5% drop. Stand out:
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Rheinmetall (Germany): +36% (€ 9,700)
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Thales (France): +11.4% (€ 20,500)
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Leonardo (Italy): +16.2%
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Airbus Defense (France-Germany): +5%
This dynamism is explained by the new promotion of military investment in European countries, both in national defense and in community collaboration.
A new plan to reindustrialize European defense
The European Commission, led by Ursula von der Leyen, has presented a plan to mobilize up to 800,000 million dollars in rearme until 2030. its objectives:
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50% of the acquired armament must be European
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40% of purchases must be joint between member countries
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35% of the defense market must be represented by internal production of the EU
This plan seeks to reduce the US dependence and reinforce European sovereignty, but it collides with a structural obstacle: Industrial fragmentation. Unlike American giants, European companies continue to operate within national borders, with duplicities and without centralized governance.
Key initiatives: FCAS and Eurodrone
To counteract this disadvantage, Europe is committed to large -scale joint projectsas:
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FCAS (FUTURE COMBAT AIR SYSTEM): Sixth generation combat plane led by Germany, France and Spain.
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Eurodrone: Unmanned air system Paneuropeo for surveillance and combat.
Both projects seek to integrate industrial capabilities and generate synergies among the main actors in the continent.
Exports: Europe Strong Strong in the Global Market
Although the US continues to lead world weapons exports, Europe represents about a third of the market. France, with 9.6%, is the second largest world exporter. Italy has also taken a leap: its international sales have grown up 138%duplicating its global fee from 2% to 4.8%.