While US export controls might be eased in the forseseeable future, Bischoff does not believe this is sufficient to overcome America's long history of subjecting its defense commitments to political whim.

"I don't see the big mergers evolving yet because national defense is too close to national sovereignty. Europe and the United States especially want to keep their sovereignty to make independent decisions. But that shouldn't keep us away from strategic partnerships, which is the first step. Then we'll see how things will develop," he is on record as saying.

Bischoff recently lobbied successfully for the UK to choose the European Meteor air-to-air missile for Eurofighter over a proposal by Raytheon of the US, as the latter could have fallen foul of American export curbs.

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