French MoD Has Ordered €4B worth Weapons in 2025

The French Ministry of Armed Forces has confirmed that weapons and defense equipment orders reached €4 billion in the first half of 2025, signaling a marked increase in procurement activity ahead of Bastille Day.

The accelerated spending reflects France’s ongoing rearmament efforts under the 2024–2030 Military Programming Law (LPM), despite a constrained budgetary environment.

Despite a tight budget environment, the Ministry of the Armed Forces said this level of ordering was made possible by the efforts of DGA (Direction générale de l’armement) staff, aiming to meet the year's targets. Payments for defense capability building and innovation already stand at €12 billion for the first half of 2025—matching the entire defense budget of 2019 in just six months.

Orders spread across multiple programs

• Thales (€725 million): For Syracuse satellite communication system maintenance, Contact software radio, and Rafale data links
• Dassault Aviation (€318 million): Risk-reduction study for Rafale F5, ongoing Rafale production, and work on a spaceplane demonstrator
• KNDS (€300 million): Scorpion armored vehicle program, Caesar howitzers, and 40mm ammunition production upgrades
• Naval Group (€168 million): Barracuda submarine program, F21 torpedoes, and 3rd-gen nuclear submarine planning
• Safran (€128 million): Acceleration of AASM guided munition production
• Ariane Group (€106 million): M51 ballistic missile program
• Airbus (€89 million): Caracal helicopter orders
• MBDA (€69 million): Anti-ship Exocet and anti-tank MMP missile programs
• Arquus (€11 million): Upgrades to armored vehicles

Over €300 million was directly awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Notable contracts include aircraft test platforms from Sabena Technics, amphibious landing craft from CNIM, and drone development from Aura Aéro.

Additional funds were disbursed via cooperative and state organizations, such as OCCAR (supporting delivery of a second BRF ship), IJPO (for additional Meteor missiles), and the CEA (nuclear deterrence programs).

The overall defense budget for 2025 stands at €50.5 billion—an increase of €3.3 billion or +7% from 2024. Equipment spending alone is set to rise from €28 billion to €31 billion.

This uptick is in line with the current Military Programming Law, which plans €268 billion in orders by 2030, compared to €170 billion under the previous cycle.

With more orders expected in the second half of the year, the Ministry of Armed Forces emphasized that the pace must continue to meet the 2025 goals laid out in the LPM.