Britain, France Will Invest $2 Billion In Drone Prototype Project

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French President Francois Hollande and UK Prime Minister David Cameron have unveiled a $2.1 billion cooperative unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) research projects during a meeting between the two leaders in Amiens, France.

The two countries will each commit over a billion dollars to research, design, and build a prototype unmanned aircraft that will be the “most advanced vehicle of its kind in Europe,” the Prime Minister’s office revealed ahead of the joint statement. The project, dubbed Future Combat Air System, will bring together forces from BAE Systems, Rolls Royce, Dassault Aviation, and others.

Cameron took the opportunity to highlight the mutually beneficial relationship between the UK and the European Union, in an attempt to persuade voters ahead of the forthcoming referendum on a potential British exit from the Union.

“The U.K.’s membership of the EU gives us greater security and greater capacity to project power globally,” Cameron said. “In an ever-more uncertain world, we gain from our membership of these international organizations.”

At the summit, that also included participation of the home, foreign, and defence ministers of both countries, the leaders discussed increasing cooperation between their police and security forces, and a commitment to a “relentless” fight against terrorism.

The UAV prototype project comes in the footsteps of a $170 million joint feasibility study.

“This program … will be based on a multi-role drone platform that could serve as a basis for future operational capacity after 2030,” said the statement released after the summit. “We plan to invest 2 billion euros in this program with a technical assessment toward 2020.”