British Prime Minister David Cameron has said the U.K. and France will invest at least a combined $2.1 billion for a collaborative unmanned aircraft development program, Defense News reported Saturday.
Pierre Tran writes Cameron unveiled the partnership during his joint conference with French President Francois Hollande Thursday in Amiens, France.
The joint combat air system initiative culminates a government-funded feasibility study by defense technology contractors BAE Systems, Finmeccanica‘s airborne and space systems division, Rolls-Royce, Dassault, Thales and Snecma, Tran reports.
The U.K. and France plan to commence work on their future unmanned combat aerial system in 2017 and expect to have an operational UCAS prototype ready by 2025, the report said.