This report discusses what factors and conditions that support a successful implementation of international defence materiel collaboration. It is based on the analysis of a eight multilateral collaborations, with Sweden as a partner in six of them.
Since the mid-1990s, international defence materiel collaboration has represented an increasingly large share of European nations’ defence procurement. This development is likely to continue. As a framework for future decisions concerning international defence materiel collaboration, an analysis is needed regarding how such collaboration between defence companies actually is implemented. The specific purpose of the report is therefore:
- To identify factors that influence the accomplishment of international defence materiel collaboration between companies
The report is based on eight case studies of international defence materiel collaboration: Iris-T, Joint Strike Fighter, Meteor, MidCas, Neuron, NFR-90, Taurus, and Viking.
Based on the analysis, the findings are:
- The main conclusions are that international collaboration between companies has a greater probability of a successful outcome if: companies view the collaboration as being strategic; companies have experience of previous collaboration between them; and one single company has the lead in the collaboration.
- Factors that shape the conditions, but do not have a direct influence on operations, are for example: the products’ degree of innovation, the number of participating companies and the number of participating states.
Based on these results we recommend decision makers in the concerned ministries and authorities to analyse before engaging in international defence materiel collaboration:
- the concerned companies’ incentives for collaborating;
- if companies have shared strategic goals for the collaboration;
- if the companies are on a similar level of technology, and;
- to demand that one single company has the lead in the collaboration.
2017. p. 1-79
defence materiel collaboration, cooperation, defence companies, procurement, acquisition, defence materiel development
Succeeding in Arms Collaboration: Technology Transfer and Export Control, August 17, 2017, University of St Andrews, Scotland