What the transformations in the defence sector reveal about the industry of tomorrow
Defence is a good lens through which to understand the changes taking place in industrial engineering. In a more tense geopolitical climate, programme sovereignty has become an operational imperative. This is reflected in particular by the ramp-up in production, the securing of supplies, the mastery of skills and the continuity of expertise.
In this sector, industrial performance no longer depends solely on the ability to design or produce. It now relies on the ability to secure an entire project framework : skills, supply chain, data, quality, interfaces and continuity. This security also requires bringing together two cultures that are now inseparable: industrial engineering and new technologies.
To shed light on these transformations, we have combined the perspectives of Grégory Alizant, Technical, Offers & Quality Director, and Quentin Borderes, Key Activity Manager Aeronautics-Defence-Space-Naval at agap2, who support the sector's stakeholders on a daily basis.
A new post-Covid industrial equation
For several years now, defence stakeholders have had to respond to a dual constraint : supporting the ramp-up of programmes while securing an industrial ecosystem still marked by post-Covid fragilities.
But the ramp-up is not just a matter of volume. It puts pressure on the entire ecosystem: suppliers, skills, interfaces, data, methods and the continuity of expertise.
As Quentin B. explains:
"Since the Covid crisis, parts of the supply chain have remained under pressure. While major groups have managed to weather this difficult period, some suppliers remain vulnerable. The geopolitical context is also more unstable, with the return of sovereignty issues, tensions surrounding certain raw materials, and the need for states to strengthen their industrial capabilities. Furthermore, demand is rising, forcing manufacturers to increase production. The challenge lies in securing the entire industrial ecosystem to support this ramp-up without causing disruptions in the production chain. "
This tension reveals a deeper transformation : industrial performance no longer depends solely on an actor's ability to design or produce a high-performing system. It also relies on the ability to secure an entire project ecosystem : suppliers, skills, data, processes, and interfaces. In increasingly interdependent programmes, the slightest disruption becomes a risk for the entire operation.
More formalised, contractual, and auditable requirements
This industrial pressure is accompanied by a tightening of the requirements governing projects. For Gregory A., industrial and technological sovereignty has profoundly transformed the expectations of prime contractors.
" These issues already existed, but they are now formalised in contracts and are subject to increasingly rigorous audits. Sovereignty is, above all, changing the level of operational requirement. It is no longer just about delivering a project on time and on budget, but about proving that you have control over the chain, the skills, the data, the suppliers, and the risks."
The novelty, therefore, is not just the increase in the level of requirements. It is the fact that this is now materialising in tenders, selection criteria, management systems, and audit mechanisms.
For Quentin Bordères, manufacturers are currently facing three major challenges: " pace, proof, and skills ».
Pace, because rapid scaling is required within ecosystems that were not always designed for it. Proof, because it is necessary to document, track, qualify, audit, and constantly demonstrate control over deliverables, quality, and cybersecurity. And finally, skills, because certain critical expertise has become rare, sometimes concentrated in very few hands.
In other words, they must move faster, while providing greater guarantees, traceability, and control, with an ever-decreasing tolerance for error.
This increased demand for control and demonstration naturally impacts the choice of partners. Manufacturers no longer just expect technical skills; they are looking for players capable of securing project execution for the long term.
When risks change, expectations of partners change too
In this context, marked by the increasing complexity of programmes and stricter requirements, expectations of engineering partners are evolving. Technical competence remains essential, but it is no longer enough on its own.
As Grégory Alizant summarises: “ The real question clients are asking themselves today is no longer: "will my partner meet my need for skills?" but: "will this partner actually secure my operations?" ”
This shift is reflected in contracting methods and partner selection criteria. Manufacturers are looking for players capable of addressing technical challenges, but also of structuring the intervention: management, continuity, risk management, and delivery quality. They also expect an ability to bridge the gap between the industrial realities of the project and the digital challenges that run through them: data, cybersecurity, management tools, or process digitalisation.
For Quentin Bordères, this expectation appears from the very first discussions with manufacturers: “ Today, partners are structured to address global, sometimes cross-functional, industrial challenges by guaranteeing the right skills at the right time and over the long term. ”
Depending on the criticality of the need, manufacturers no longer just expect a commitment of resources based on the mobilisation of expertise. They are increasingly looking for partners capable of committing to a result, by taking charge of a structured scope, with clearly defined responsibilities, deliverables, and a level of continuity.
This evolution marks a significant shift: in an environment where requirements are increasing and the pace is accelerating, the value of a partner relies as much on their ability to secure execution as on the skills mobilised.
Securing a project means ensuring its continuity
In long-term programmes, continuity becomes a prerequisite for performance. A defence project can last ten, fifteen, or even twenty years. In such contexts, critical expertise can be lost, a deliverable can become unusable, or a decision may go unrecorded. Organisational fragility then becomes a programme risk.
Grégory points out that the difference also lies in how the intervention is structured: "The real difference is made on two fronts: a front office that is technically robust, highly communicative, and capable of coordinating activities; and a structured back office, with a technical manager responsible for delivery and a multi-skilled team."
As Quentin also points out, the goal is to eliminate "single points of failure"—those situations where a critical skill, decision, or piece of knowledge relies on just one person.
This logic is particularly relevant when it comes to supply chain, procurement, or production support. In a context of industrial ramp-ups and strained global supply chains, agap2 supported a major player in the aeronautics, space, and defence sectors in securing its material flows for two strategic programmes. The teams strengthened supply chain management, coordinated stakeholders, supported critical suppliers, and deployed dedicated tracking tools.
The challenge was to secure supplies, stabilise supplier performance, and support the industrial ramp-up.
This logic of continuity is not limited to industrial flows. It extends to how manufacturers manage their operations using data, digital tools, and, increasingly, AI.
When industry and IT become one and the same
In the defence sector, systems can no longer be thought of solely as industrial equipment. They now incorporate software, data, digital interfaces, and cyber requirements that are becoming central to their performance and control.
This transformation also affects the digitalisation of production and the management of operations. The challenge is no longer just to modernise tools, but to make flows more transparent, improve supervision, ensure data reliability, and accelerate decision-making. In this context, AI is not a standalone subject: it becomes a lever for production, helping to better anticipate discrepancies, support teams, and boost industrial performance.
Against this backdrop, a major European defence player needed to develop a next-generation mission planning software for a leading aeronautical platform. The project had to integrate increasingly complex operational scenarios: equipment, weaponry, configurations, mission objectives, software components, and interconnected systems.
The agap2 teams supported the development and industrialisation of the solution within a multidisciplinary framework bringing together software, DevOps, and business expertise. The challenge was not just the technical performance of the software, but its ability to meet operational, industrial, and quality requirements over the long term.
For Gregory Alizant:
" If you take the example of a flight object, it is worth as much for its weapon systems and avionics architecture as it is for its airframe. The issue, therefore, is not just about digitising or adding AI: it is about building robust, scalable, and controlled systems. "
It is precisely at this intersection of industry and digital technology that agap2’s dual culture finds its purpose: understanding industrial constraints, quality and regulatory requirements, as well as the IT challenges involved in managing, integrating, and operating defence programmes more effectively.
What this reveals about the industry of tomorrow
What the defence sector is revealing today goes far beyond the military sphere alone.
In the most critical industrial sectors, performance no longer depends solely on the quality of a design or the sophistication of a technology. It relies on the ability to manage an increasingly interdependent ecosystem of skills, data, suppliers, systems, and interfaces over the long term.
This shift is also transforming the role of industrial partners. Beyond technical expertise, they are now expected to provide continuity, control, and resilience in project execution.
For over 20 years, agap2 has been supporting transformations in the most demanding sectors, including defence. This experience has led to a firm belief: in an environment defined by faster production rates, increasingly complex systems, and stricter requirements, competitive advantage relies as much on the ability to execute sustainably as it does on the ability to innovate. It is in this convergence of industrial excellence, systems management, and secure execution that the conditions for success in the industry of tomorrow are being shaped.
