Description
Where are European advanced military drones? Despite the large sums of resources invested into research and development projects over the past fifteen years, European countries continue to depend on the imports of the American, and to a lesser extent Israeli, advanced military UAV technology. This paper looks at the late arrival of European countries in the business of advanced military UAVs by analyzing the interplay of political, strategic, economic, industrial, and technological factors. It then zooms in on the inclusion-exclusion dynamics and rivalry patterns among the main European industrial players on the defense market. The paper argues that the lack of high-level political and military interest in prioritizing drones in the past resulted in a number of competing drone projects in Europe. Ultimately, the formation of various drone clubs explains why European countries have been struggling to move from the experimental development of demonstrators and prototypes into the operational and production stage of an indigenous European advanced drone.
