European defense firms book double-digit growth amid war in Ukraine

ROME — As the war in Ukraine boosts arms spending across Europe , the continent’s defense industry grew by 16.9 percent last year, reaching revenue of nearly €160 billion, or almost $170 billion, a trade association has reported.

The sector also saw employment swell by 8.9 percent to reach a head count of 581,000, the Aerospace, Security and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD) said on Tuesday.

Defense firms across Europe have reported improved results since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 as governments hurriedly beef up their militaries.

The ASD, which compiles data from its 3,000 member firms in 17 countries, said that exports outside the bloc also rose in 2023 by 12.6 percent to reach €57.4bn.

“These exports play a vital role in sustaining the competitive economic performance of the European defense industry, considering the relatively modest size of domestic European markets and the substantial development costs involved,” the association said in a statement.

Breaking down the numbers, the ASD said Europe’s defense aerospace sector grew by 15.8 percent to reach €64.8bn in revenue in 2023, the naval sector grew by 17.7 percent to €37.9bn and the land sector also grew by 17.7 percent to €56.2bn. The three sectors combined for a revenue of €158.8bn.

Of the total number of 581,000 employed in the defense sector, the ASD reported that 217,000 work in aeronautics - including 17,700 new jobs added in 2023, while the remaining 364,000 jobs are in the land and naval sectors.

Despite the growth, the association said the sector was “navigating through a critical period marked by significant challenges.”

It stated, “Decades of underinvestment and off-the-shelf procurement from non-European providers have led to dramatically reduced production capabilities in Europe, a strategic flaw that was laid bare as a consequence of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.”

Relying on outside suppliers for critical minerals and semi-conductors was another challenge, it said.

“Addressing these issues requires a concerted effort to increase investment, streamline demand and supply, and develop strategies to reduce dependency on external sources for critical manufacturing components,” it said.

“After the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, the combined defense budget of EU Member States has seen only an increase of approximately 20 percent, a figure that pales in comparison to the substantial increases by Russia and China, which have raised their defense budgets by nearly300 percent and 600 percent in that period, respectively,” it added.

Turning to the combined aerospace, space and defense sectors in Europe, the ASD said total revenue grew by 10.1 percent in 2023 to reach €290.4bn, with firms adding 76,000 new jobs to reach total head count of 1,027,000 last year.

Tom Kington is the Italy correspondent for Defense News.

罗马——据一家行业协会报告，随着乌克兰战争推高了欧洲各地的军费开支，欧洲大陆的国防工业去年增长了 16.9%，收入接近 1600 亿欧元，约合 1700 亿美元。

欧洲航空航天、安全和国防工业协会（ASD）周二表示，该行业的就业人数也增长了 8.9%，达到 581,000 人。

自 2022 年 2 月俄罗斯入侵乌克兰以来，欧洲各地的国防公司都报告业绩有所改善，因为各国政府都在匆忙加强军备。

ASD 汇总了来自 17 个国家 3000 家成员公司的数据，该机构表示，2023 年欧盟以外的出口也增长了 12.6%，达到 574 亿欧元。

该协会在一份声明中表示：“考虑到欧洲国内市场规模相对较小以及涉及的研发成本巨大，这些出口在维持欧洲国防工业的竞争力方面发挥着至关重要的作用。”

根据ASD的数据细分，欧洲国防航空航天业在2023年增长了15.8%，收入达到648亿欧元；海军领域增长了17.7%，收入达到379亿欧元；陆地领域也增长了17.7%，收入达到562亿欧元。这三个领域合计收入为1588亿欧元。

据ASD报告，在国防部门雇用的581,000人中，有217,000人在航空领域工作——其中包括2023年新增的17,700个工作岗位，其余364,000个工作岗位则分布在陆地和海军领域。

尽管行业有所增长，但该协会表示，该行业“正经历一个充满重大挑战的关键时期”。

报告指出，“数十年来投资不足以及从非欧洲供应商处采购现成产品，导致欧洲的生产能力大幅下降，这一战略缺陷在俄罗斯全面入侵乌克兰后暴露无遗。”

报告称，依赖外部供应商提供关键矿物和半导体是另一个挑战。

报告称：“解决这些问题需要各方共同努力，增加投资，简化供需关系，并制定战略以减少对关键制造零部件外部来源的依赖。”

报告还指出：“自2014年俄罗斯吞并克里米亚以来，欧盟成员国的国防预算总和仅增长了约20%，与俄罗斯和中国的大幅增长相比，这一数字相形见绌。同期，俄罗斯和中国的国防预算分别增长了近300%和600%。”

欧洲航空航天、航天和国防综合领域，ASD表示，2023年总收入增长10.1%，达到2904亿欧元，各公司新增76000个工作岗位，去年员工总数达到1027000人。

汤姆·金顿是《防务新闻》驻意大利记者。