Macron sees his country in the “war economy”

Paris, Cholet Cholet is located in the Loire estuary, idyllically surrounded by pastures and fields. However, part of the small town in western France is not accessible to nature lovers at all. It’s a restricted military area.

Engineers from the armaments company Thales are developing technology for electronic warfare here. This includes bug-proof radio equipment, devices for jamming enemy signals or portable ground stations for a satellite connection.

And business is booming. Thales, according to the Swedish peace research institute Sipri the third largest armaments company in the European Union and number 14 worldwide, wants to invest 70 million euros in a new plant in Cholet.

As a precaution, the group has already reserved several hectares of land for future expansion. In December, Thales received an order from the French army for a new high-speed network with which the troops are to network in action.