00:03Soldiers and defense manufacturers alike are flexing their muscles at this exercise for the press.
00:10Europe is aiming to show it's ready for a potential conflict beyond Ukraine's borders,
00:16which some predict could happen in the next few years.
00:19The focus here is on digitization.
00:23We didn't create a car that is just we sell to the clients the way it is.
00:27So if they need drone systems and if they need a jamming system to interfere with telecommunications,
00:32we are able to incorporate that into the platform.
00:38Our robot can lead the way to do reconnaissance and neutralize possible threats.
00:44Modern intensive warfare is all about keeping soldiers out of harm's way.
00:5070% of the French company's 110 million euros of turnover comes in the defense sector compared with 40%
00:58six years ago.
00:59Its robots are being used by the Ukrainian army.
01:05Our robot can be remotely controlled from inside an armored vehicle like this one with a cockpit and a simulator.
01:13Here you can see what you would see if you were to operate one of our robots out in the
01:18field.
01:18We are producing one robot per month, but we could boost that number to four.
01:24We are in talks with armies from a number of NATO countries.
01:28But Europe is looking up to Ukraine for robots and drones.
01:3280 Ukrainian companies are exhibiting here this year, up from ten at the last edition.
01:38This manufacturer used to make agricultural drones.
01:42He says there are reasons drones like his are massively deployed in the war.
01:47It is light and cheap.
01:49It is a heavy bomber.
01:50It can carry up to actually 20 kg.
01:53It is interesting in Europe as well as in the US.
01:57We are creating the cooperation here with the companies.
02:00Companies from 68 countries are exhibiting at this trade fair,
02:04including from European defense leaders France and the UK.
02:08The continent boosted its defense spending to 381 billion euros last year.
02:14But this economist says gearing up European production capacities won't be straightforward.
02:22Europe needs to practically set up a new supply chain.
02:26The defense sector is relatively small,
02:29but we'll have to recruit many new staff given all the additional investment.
02:34However, we are lacking young people as our birth rates are falling.
02:38Meanwhile, it is difficult to set up cross-border projects as each country wants to invest in their own market.
02:45Other joint ventures continue, like this Franco-German terrestrial defense giant
02:51that boosted its turnover last year by 16% to 4.4 billion euros.
02:57It's aiming to either open or expand ten production sites.
03:02There are economies of scale to cross-border corporations.
03:06When you innovate and produce, we have copied the best practices in the automobile sector
03:11when it comes to assembly lines, but also regarding the supply chain.
03:15Let's take our CESA mobile artillery system.
03:18We managed to bring the time span from when the order is placed to delivery down from 30 to 15
03:25months.
03:25Other firms are looking to use manufacturing capacities from their civil sector businesses to ramp up military production,
03:34so as to be better armed for a future that looks increasingly uncertain.
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