*

Dassault CEO says Europe has made little progress on

defence

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Says current crisis proves France was right to focus on

autonomy

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Says EU has placed 'heavy weights' on European defence

industry

(Recasts, adds new CEO quotes, background)

By Tim Hepher and Anna Peverieri

March 5 (Reuters) - The head of French warplane maker

Dassault Aviation delivered a blunt assessment of

Europe's turnaround on defence spending on Wednesday, saying the

continent's leaders had talked for decades about co-operation to

little effect.

CEO Eric Trappier said he was closely watching budget

discussions and that the Rafale manufacturer would be ready to

seize any opportunities presented by Europe's need to rearm,

given a rift over security with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Asked what he expected from an emergency European summit on

Ukraine and European security, Trappier told reporters: "What I

would like to see is European governments granting preference to

European industry. I have been saying it for 30 years."

Trappier said France's historical refusal since the 1950s

to rely mainly on the United States had been proved right by

current events and that it would take time to rebuild capacity.

European leaders agreed over the weekend to boost defence

spending to show Trump that the continent could protect itself

and Germany, Europe's largest economy, has announced major

changes to increase military spending.

Speaking to reporters after presenting annual results,

Trappier delivered a withering assessment of the policies of

neighbours who have tied their security in large part to the

United States, including with purchases of the rival F-35.

"I'm delighted that Germany has realised that they have to

invest in defence. We have already heard this a few years ago,"

Trappier told a press conference.

"There was a 100 billion (euro re-armament) plan in Germany,

and one of the first decisions was to buy the F-35 to carry

American nuclear arms: I wonder how effective that is today."

In 2022, Germany decided to order 35 F-35s made by U.S.

defence giant Lockheed Martin ( LMT ), including missiles and

other weapons, for around 10 billion euros.

'HEAVY WEIGHTS'

Trappier also urged the European Commission to bolster the

defence industry with European funds.

"The European Commission has put heavy weights around the

feet of European industry. The Chinese and Americans have

developed their industries, yet we don't have real EU support."

Trappier's comments underscore differences in capability and

approach across Europe's fragmented defence industry.

They echo a frequently expressed view in France, which in

1954 refused to back the European Defence Community, a bid to

unify European forces, and later promoted an autonomous stance

under President Charles de Gaulle to moderate U.S. influence.

"It's lucky that we didn't enter the EDC, otherwise we would

have had heavy American weights around our feet today," Trappier

said.

Trump has long demanded that Europe do more to safeguard its

own defence so that Washington can focus on other regions,

especially the Indo-Pacific.

European Union leaders will meet for an extraordinary summit

on Thursday to discuss additional support for Ukraine and how to

pay for European defence needs, EU officials said on Sunday.