After a hesitation waltz of several months, the French State finally informed the French investment fund Ardian and the American group Teledyn that it was putting the veto on the operation, according to the article in the Tribune by Michel Cabriol [here]
It is a great first on the part of our Authorities to take such a clear-cut decision, however I think that several factors have played out, including a public awareness still limited, that the aspects of industrial and technological sovereignty were no longer secondary subjects.
But we must also recognize the significant mobilization of the Minister of Defense Florence Parly on this subject. Contrary to concerns when she was appointed [here], she is wearing the costume brilliantly and commands respect.
However, all is not yet decided, because Photonis for its development needs solid investors, and it must be said that French companies are not jostling at the gate.
We are wondering about the reason for the reluctance of the big players in the Defense sector to come to the aid of Photonis …
The provisional conclusion is happy, and it is important to preserve our French nuggets which have fields of excellence, here in optronics, certainly military mainly, but whose civil applications are also important for example in the medical field. These are preserved jobs, patents that remain in France.
