New Aquitaine is the third French region for aeronautics, space and defense, and it has just strengthened its partnership with public arms! The fallout will go well beyond the military…
New Aquitaine weighs heavily in national defense
When we talk about defense in France, we often think of Paris or Toulouse. However, Nouvelle-Aquitaine is a leading player, often underestimated. It represents approximately 13% of national ASD activity (aeronautics, space, defense), with more than 40,000 direct industrial jobs and more than 550 industrial establishments spread across the territory. The Region injects 25 million euros per year in aid dedicated to the sector, excluding financial engineering.
This rare industrial breeding ground combines major clients, agile SMEs, testing centers, competitiveness centers and research laboratories. An ecosystem that few French regions can match like New Aquitaine.
DGA and AID: two key players, distinct roles
This partnership involves two entities of the Ministry of the Armed Forces which are better distinguished:
DGA
The DGA (General Directorate of Armaments) manages arms programs, tests and evaluates equipment, and contributes to France’s strategic autonomy. It has around 10,500 agents, operates on 18 sites and represented 20 billion euros in commitments in 2023. Beyond the simple public buyer, it is a technological and industrial pilot in its own right.
AID
The AID (Defense Innovation Agency) plays a different role: identifying, financing and accelerating innovations useful to the armed forces, in conjunction with companies, start-ups and territories. In New Aquitaine, AID drives the innovation dynamic, while the DGA and regional stakeholders ensure implementation on the ground.
ALIENOR: the cluster that links local innovation and military needs
Created in 2019, the ALIENOR center (the play on words with “Aquitaine” will make you smile) is the central operational tool of this system. Its mission: to detect, guide and test regional innovations to transform them into solutions usable by the armies.
It brings together major military and industrial players:
- DGA Missile Tests
- DGA Flight Tests
- AIA of Bordeaux
- CEAM of Mont-de-Marsan
- 13e RDP
- Aerospace Valley
A first call for projects has already delivered a concrete result: a €90,000 contract awarded to a locally developed visual missile launch simulation solution. Proof that a small regional innovation can find a real operational outlet.
What this actually changes for businesses
For an SME, entering defense supply chains is often perceived as inaccessible: cumbersome certifications, confidentiality requirements, payment deadlines, ramp-up. ALIENOR and this strengthened partnership aim precisely to lower these barriers, by offering more legible access to a demanding but credible public client.
|
What the partnership brings |
For whom |
|
Access to DGA testing and evaluations |
PME and regional ETI |
|
Contact with clients |
Start-ups and innovators |
|
Financing and labeling via AID |
Laboratories and technopoles |
|
Scaling up on dual projects |
Actors in the civil and defense sectors |
The sector is already dual at 45% depending on the Region, in other words, almost half of the activities have both military and civil applications. An innovation developed for defense can very well be used in composite materials, cyber security, on-board sensors or civil communication systems.
Why 2026 is a pivotal year
The global geopolitical context accelerates everything. The French government has announced for 2026 the launch of an industrial drone production sector with 150 million euros in the Defense mission, a strong signal that defense innovation has become an industrial priority, not just a military one.
New Aquitaine, already positioned on drones, airborne systems and maintaining operational conditions, is in a good place to capture a part of this national effort. But the ramp-up has its own risks: pressure on supply chains, reinforced certification requirements, and tension on deadlines, all challenges that regional SMEs will have to absorb.
This DGA-New Aquitaine Region partnership is the putting into working order of an already solid ecosystem, at a time when France decides to regain control of its defense industrial autonomy. The companies that are positioning themselves now are one step ahead!
Sources
-  Ministère des Armées : appel à manifestation d’intérêt ALIENOR.
- Aerospace Valley : cluster d’innovation défense ALIENOR.
- Featured image: © Dassault
