On this day, 29 years ago, August 16, 1996 (July 3, 1996, the lunar calendar), Britain and France jointly built Europe's largest missile company. On August 16, 1996, British Aerospace and Matra of France formally signed an agreement in London and decided to jointly form Europe's largest missile company. Under the agreement, British Aerospace and Matra will merge their affiliated missile production companies to form a joint "Matra British Aerospace." In a joint statement issued after the signing of the agreement, the two companies emphasized that the establishment of the joint venture marks that the EU's joint revitalization strategy for the arms industry has entered the specific implementation stage.