Defence and security
The economic weight of the Aeronautics Space Defence sector is vital to the PACA region
as it is worth over 5 billion euros. The number of direct industrial jobs generated
by this sector is about 35 000 - roughly half of which are in defence.
The Var is France's top destination department for military personnel with 30 000 forces members
and almost 10 000 civilians working for defence.
A web of technology SMEs (often spin-offs) has set up industrial sites around the main contract givers,
who are essentially DCNS, CNIM and ECA.
Some of the firms located in the Var
- AERO13
- BMTI (part of the PIB group which has some twenty high-tecnology companies
primarily specialised in aeronautics and defence).
- CNIM
- DCNS
- ECA
The Pégase cometitiveness cluster
The centre known as Pôle Régional d'Innovation et de Développement Économique
Solidaire (
PRIDES) by the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur
(PACA) region was designated as a competitiveness cluster by the French government in
July 2007. It houses the region's aeronautics and aerospace industry.
Pégase has a set objective to develop a competitive ecosystem in synergy with the
network of major industrial concerns research and testing centres and the web of innovative
SMEs and potential partners in the PACA region.
The aeronautics and space competitiveness cluster has made it its strategy to forestall the
development of society's air and space travel needs. Protection, surveillance, communication,
goods and passenger transport are all constantly changing.
They present real growth opportunities for the aeronautics and space industry.
Surveillance missions
Development of new cheaper unmanned aircraft, primarily drones that are capable
of monitoring areas, industrial, cultural and natural sites.
Intervention missions
Development of rapid reaction aircraft (drones, helicopters, etc.) capable of operating in
inhospitable, polluted environments, or those that are inaccessible by land.
Transport missions
Development of new means of cheaper, environmentally-friendly passenger
transport (wingboats, electrically-powered planes) and new possibilities for
transporting exceptionally heavy or bulky loads such as pipelines or bridge
piers (wide-body airships). The airship's considerable accessibility enables it to
come into its own in areas where communication links have been cut, for
example by catastrophes.

The industry's key figures :
- leading industry in PACA
- World leader for helicopters, satellites and tests
- 30% R&D
- 8 European-ranking contract givers
- Almost 250 PMEs
- 8 test centres of excellence
The Defence and Security Industry in the Var (in French)
the Aeronautics, Space, Defence in PACA dossier in French