Europe's defence dilemma: Can joint arms projects succeed?

The concept of European transnational programmes for procuring and designing new armaments is not new. For decades, the countries of the Old Continent have attempted to collaborate and jointly create new weapon models with varying degrees of success.

This idea faces significant obstacles, such as the differing expectations of individual countries and the associated various - sometimes difficult-to-reconcile - design assumptions.

As a result, transnational armament programmes in Europe often involve compromise, affecting the technical parameters of equipment developed to satisfy the differing expectations of various countries.

An example of such weaponry and successful cooperation despite differences is the strike aircraft, SEPECAT Jaguar. Developed in the 1960s, the design responded to the needs of the air forces of the United Kingdom and France.

The lightweight and relatively simple machine proved to be a success. The partners declared intentions to acquire 200 units each, and foreign clients such as Oman and India also showed interest in the Jaguar. Ultimately, about 600 units of this aircraft were produced, and France and the United Kingdom used the Jaguars during operations like Desert Storm.

Even though the Jaguar is over half a century old, it remains in service. Its last user is the Indian military aviation.

The Panavia Tornado is also the result of international cooperation. It was built by the forces of the United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy (with the Netherlands briefly participating in the work). The twin-engine, two-seat aircraft with variable-sweep wings could serve as a heavy fighter, strike aircraft, and electronic warfare machine. It can fly at minimal altitude using terrain.

To enable this, the aircraft's radar scanned the ground ahead, creating a real-time map of obstacles that very advanced avionics guaranteed to avoid automatically. As a result, the Tornado could attack while flying at supersonic speed just 30 metres above the ground.

Although the Tornado aircraft first flew in 1974, the latest units are still in service with the air forces of Italy and Germany, and outside Europe, with Saudi Arabia.

The biggest transnational success of the European defence industry to date is the Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft. It is a multi-role, twin-engine machine with a canard aerodynamic design (triangular wings and front canards), classified as generation 4+.

Four countries—Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Italy—collaborated on this design. The Eurofighter, first flown in 1994, is still being developed. Subsequent production variants (Tranche 1, 2, 3, 4, 4+, and 5) have increased its capabilities.

As it develops, the Eurofighter evolves from primarily a fighter machine towards a universal, multi-role aircraft capable of ground attack and electronic warfare.

A prime example of longstanding and fruitful cooperation is European anti-tank missiles. The lightweight MILAN missile, developed in the 1970s by France and Germany, became a European standard for many decades, with licensed production undertaken by countries such as the United Kingdom and Spain. The missile, designed for infantry soldiers, reached infantry fighting vehicles like the German Marder.

A missile with greater range—also developed jointly by France and Germany—is the HOT anti-tank guided missile. In terms of solution and capabilities, it is the European equivalent of the American TOW missile.

The wire-guided HOT has a range of up to 4 kilometres and was equipped on military vehicles and helicopters. It became a European export hit and is used by around a dozen armies worldwide. Developed at the end of the 1970s, HOT eventually found an international successor in the Trigat missile.

Another result of international collaboration is the air-launched cruise missile Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG, jointly developed by France and the United Kingdom. In 2024, France, Germany, Poland, and Italy signed a joint letter of intent to establish a ground-launched cruise missile.

Another example of collaboration is the European Eurocopter Tiger attack helicopter, which France, Spain, and Germany jointly built. Work on this narrow-fuselage machine began during the Cold War. The aircraft resulting from the work features innovative solutions, such as the extensive use of composite materials and incorporating stealth (low observability) features.

Production was divided among the involved countries: Germany made the front part of the fuselage, France made the middle, and Spain made the rear. Each country then independently assembled its helicopters from the delivered components.

Despite their modernity, the Tiger helicopters proved troublesome to maintain. Factors including high failure rates, partially related to issues with access to supplies and spare parts, made them difficult to maintain. As a result, Germany decided to retire the Tiger helicopters earlier than planned and replace them with lighter H145 machines.

Alongside European armament programmes that have proven successful for decades, initiatives have also failed to reach a successful conclusion. A prime example is the attempts to develop a European tank, which have been undertaken in various initiatives since the 1950s.

The first attempt at tank cooperation between France and Germany resulted not in a joint machine but in two competing tanks: the Leopard 1 and the AMX-30.

The British-German programme MBT-80 (and before that, the American-German MBT-70) also ended unsuccessfully. Work began in the 1970s and was supposed to result in a joint next-generation tank. However, both countries ultimately opted for independently developed vehicles - the Leopard 2 and the Challenger.

The idea of building a European tank has not been completely abandoned—France and Germany are currently working on it within the framework of the MGCS programme. However, the result of nearly a decade of work is currently only a general concept of the new equipment and the division of work. The tank—if it is built at all—will not be constructed until the 2040s.