BERLIN, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Germany and France aim to discuss the troubled Talarion drone project at a Dec. 10 summit, according to a letter from the head of the military division of European aerospace and defence group EADS.
Cassidian Chief Executive Stefan Zoller thanked German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg in the letter seen by Reuters for his pledge to raise the subject of Talarion at the Franco-German summit in Freiburg next month.
Germany has been considering dropping the project, whose total procurement costs for France, Germany and Spain amount to some 3 billion euros, though no decision has been made.
In the letter, Zoller proposes to Guttenberg that a prototype can be built by the end of 2014, with the cost estimated at 20-30 million euros for each nation.
Development should then continue until 2019, and cost each country between 30 and 60 million euros, it added.
Military experts have questioned the value of the project, which is due to be developed at a time Germany is looking to slash its defence spending by more than 8 billion euros over the next four years as part of its budget consolidation plans.
Officials in the German armed forces point out that the new EADS unmanned aircraft would face competition from the U.S. Predator drone and Heron, an Israeli rival.
(Reporting by Sabine Siebold) Keywords: EADS/GERMANY (dave.graham@reuters.com; Reuters Messaging: dave.graham.reuters.com@reuters.net; 49 30 2888 5217) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
Cassidian Chief Executive Stefan Zoller thanked German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg in the letter seen by Reuters for his pledge to raise the subject of Talarion at the Franco-German summit in Freiburg next month.
Germany has been considering dropping the project, whose total procurement costs for France, Germany and Spain amount to some 3 billion euros, though no decision has been made.
In the letter, Zoller proposes to Guttenberg that a prototype can be built by the end of 2014, with the cost estimated at 20-30 million euros for each nation.
Development should then continue until 2019, and cost each country between 30 and 60 million euros, it added.
Military experts have questioned the value of the project, which is due to be developed at a time Germany is looking to slash its defence spending by more than 8 billion euros over the next four years as part of its budget consolidation plans.
Officials in the German armed forces point out that the new EADS unmanned aircraft would face competition from the U.S. Predator drone and Heron, an Israeli rival.
(Reporting by Sabine Siebold) Keywords: EADS/GERMANY (dave.graham@reuters.com; Reuters Messaging: dave.graham.reuters.com@reuters.net; 49 30 2888 5217) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
© 2010 AFX News
