France increases the Defense budget by 36 billion euros

France has announced a €36 billion (approximately $42 billion) increase in the defense budget over the next four years, aimed at accelerating military modernization.

The bill, presented by the Minister of the Armed Forces, Catherine Vautrin, stipulates that the Defense budget will reach €63.3 billion by 2027 and €76.3 billion by the end of the decade, nearly double compared to ten years ago. Although this increase is significant, spending will only represent 2.6% of GDP, below NATO's target of 3.5% by 2035.

Among the main initiatives is the development of a new intermediate tank to replace the Leclerc tanks during the transition period until the completion of the Franco-German joint project MGCS. France will allocate €8.5 billion for drones and missiles, already ordering 10,000 FPV drones. Additionally, investments are being made in anti-drone systems and in the space domain, with €3.9 billion allocated for communications and surveillance.