On 29 October 1981, the Secretary-General of Western European Union (WEU) circulates the draft reply by the French delegation to the Council to Assembly Recommendation 368 on the European combat aircraft and other aeronautical developments. The text states that the development of cooperative armaments programmes is a complex process. It requires consensus at national level between industrial, economic, military and political interests. In connection with the project to build a specifically European aircraft, the countries concerned are using the existing machinery for concerted action in the sphere of armaments, mainly the independent European Programme Group (IEPG) and the Conference of National Armaments Directors (CNAD). Intense discussions are being held between the French, German and United Kingdom Governments. Other European countries have shown interest, and a project group within the IEPG has been set up to provide a suitable forum for concerted action and exchanges of information. In addition to the future combat aircraft, joint talks have been launched in connection with helicopters and transport aircraft. An exploratory group is examining the long-term requirements of the various European countries in this area.