Eva Szego and Josselin Droff took part in the round table discussion «Armaments markets: new needs, new industrial players, new strategies» as part of the third edition of the Paris Defence and Strategy Forum (PDSF) of the’Defence Academy of the École Militaire (ACADEM)
The 2026 edition of the Paris Defence and Strategy Forum (PDSF) was held at the École Militaire, Paris 7, from 24 to 26 March 2026.
Scheduled for 26 March 2026 in the Amphithéatre Foch, the round table «Armaments markets: new needs, new industrial players, new strategies? Eva Szego, The event brought together speakers from the worlds of politics, academia and industry to share their analyses:
- Josselin Droff, Researcher at the Defence Economics Chair - IHEDN
- Aurore Neuschwander, Director of the Drones, Autonomous Systems and Underwater Weapons Division and permanent member of the Executive Committee. Naval Group
- Antoine De Braquilanges, Chief Executive Officer - Helsing France
- Thomas Gassiloud, Deputy, National Defence Committee - National Assembly
- Alexandre Papaemmanuel, Senior Vince President Business Strategy & Future Portfolio - MBDA
- Dustin Wilden, Chief Executive Officer - CenSec (Denmark)
The Russian-Ukrainian conflict has highlighted profound changes in the use of military equipment, accelerating the transformation of the defence industry. The widespread use of drones in all environments - land, air, sea and space - illustrates this trend, as does the rapid militarisation of technologies developed in the civilian sector.
In this context, producing more, faster and at lower cost is becoming a strategic imperative, particularly in view of the return of high-intensity conflicts. This dynamic is encouraging the emergence of new European players, often inspired by American models such as Anduril, who are challenging the historic positions of the major manufacturers.
In response to these developments, established players are adapting their strategies, transforming production methods, strengthening innovation ecosystems and multiplying partnerships. The result is a diversification of industrial approaches, revealing both the dynamism and the tensions that characterise this “new defence”, which is in the process of reshaping itself.
