"Further consolidation in Europe's defence industry is necessary and four major European players are too many, according to the head of France's Delegation Generale pour l'Armement (DGA) defence procurement agency. During the presentation of the DGA's 2005 annual results on the 25th of April, DGA chief Francois Lurea said that the European "Big Four" of Thales, EADS (both with large French components), Italy's Finmeccanica and UK-based BAE Systems would need to consolidate indue course. "Four is a lot. I think there will naturally be some consolidation among these groups. There will be fewer players in the future," he said. With costs in mind, the DGA has asked DCN to reduce the costs of the next generation Barracuda attack submarines it is developing for the French Navy."