ADS and GIFAS warmly welcome the commitments made at the UK-France Summit, co-chaired by President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Keir Starmer, to bring our defence industries closer than ever.
The refresh of the Lancaster House Treaties, embodied in the Declaration on Modernising UK-French Defence and Security Cooperation, underscores the importance of industrial collaboration in critical domains such as air, space, cyber, and defence.
ADS CEO Kevin Craven and GIFAS CEO Frédéric Parisot commented:
As Chief Executives of ADS and GIFAS, representing the aerospace and defence industries in the United Kingdom and France respectively, we warmly welcome the commitments made at the UK–France Summit and the refresh of the Lancaster House Treaties on the 10th of July 2025, embodied in the Declaration on Modernising UK-French Defence and Security Cooperation.
This occasion marks a critical opportunity to reaffirm our nations’ longstanding strategic partnership in the pursuit of collective defence and security. In today’s challenging global landscape, the imperative for trusted allies to act in concert is more urgent than ever. The revitalised cooperation between the UK and France will strengthen bilateral industrial relationships, enhance supply chain resilience, and reinforce the foundation for enduring security and sustainable growth across the continent.
Since the previous bilateral summit, ADS and GIFAS have worked to facilitate direct industry-to-industry dialogue through a series of bilateral workshops between London and Paris. These conversations have laid important groundwork, forging mutual trust and shared ambition across our defence industrial bases. We are committed to building on this momentum and accelerating our efforts with urgency, clarity, and resolve.
ADS and GIFAS therefore welcome the announcements made at the Summit to bring our defence industries closer than ever before through a new “Entente industrielle”. This includes joint efforts to develop the next-generation complex weapons in Deep Strike and Air Defence as well as Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS) capabilities, and the common ambition to evolve the A400M into a multi-mission platform. The United Kingdom’s decision to take a stake in Eutelsat further illustrates this renewed commitment for Europe’s security and resilience. The strengthening of collaboration in key areas such as artificial intelligence, space, and cyber, reflects a shared recognition that joint and innovative industrial programmes are central to advancing Europe’s warfighting readiness and deterrence posture.
From capability development and systems integration to emerging technologies and complex supply chain integration, our industries are ready to act. In a strategic environment marked by ever-increasing threats, time is not a luxury we can afford; delivering at pace is now an operational imperative.
ADS and GIFAS stand united in supporting the strategic vision set out by our respective Governments. Together, we will continue to champion innovation, deepen collaboration, and empower our industries to be key enablers of collective security, stability, and prosperity in Europe.
