France, Britain agree to invest in drone project

France and Britain planned on Thursday to announce a 1.5 billion pound ($2.11 billion) project to build a next-generation drone prototype as the two allies seek to increase security and military ties at a time of conflict in Syria and Libya.

President Francois Hollande and Prime Minister David Cameron were meeting in northern France as part of a bi-annual summit also commemorating the centenary later this year of the Battle of the Somme in which 600,000 British and French soldiers died. Cameron was expected to also use the visit to argue that continued European Union membership will enhance Britain's security as he lobbies for it to stay in the 28-nation bloc ahead of a June 23 referendum on the issue. "I am convinced that the UK's membership of the EU gives us greater security and greater capacity to project power globally," Cameron said in comments released by his office before the meeting in Amiens, 120 km (75 miles) north of Paris. Officials from both sides said part of the summit's focus would be on forging closer police and counter-terrorism ties.

To that end, Cameron and Hollande will announce a project to build a prototype of the next generation of unmanned drone aircraft that would be able to conduct surveillance of security threats and fire missiles at targets. Each side is to contribute about 750 million pounds.

The Future Combat Air System project to develop the most advanced drone of its kind in Europe builds on a 120-million-pound joint feasibility study undertaken agreed in 2014. Britain's BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce, along with Dassault Aviation, Safran and Thales of France, are taking part.