France and Germany abandon joint project to build European fighter jet
- French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz agreed to abandon their joint $116 billion next-generation fighter jet project, concluding during the EU-Western Balkans summit in Montenegro that months of deadlock remained unbreakable.
- Launched in 2017 by Macron and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the program struggled with technological specifications and control disputes between Dassault Aviation and Airbus, while Merz questioned the necessity of a nuclear-capable jet for Germany.
- Failure to reach consensus reflects Europe's broader struggle to rebuild military capacity; while the core fighter is cancelled, officials aim to preserve the "combat cloud," a "nervous system that networks aircraft, drones, and other components into an integrated whole."
- This decision weakens European efforts to present a united defense front against Russia, marking a significant setback for integrated defense cooperation as nations contend with souring ties with the United States.
- Leaders are seeking a face-saving solution to rebrand remaining systems under the Future Combat Air System name, allowing officials to relinquish the core fighter without declaring the entire project dead.
245 Articles
245 Articles
France and Germany agree to disagree, ditch joint next-gen Euro fighter
One of Europe’s two major next-gen fighter aircraft programs has been hit hard by differences between France and Germany, the two main participants, leaving the UK-Italy-Japan's Tempest as the main contender. Reports say that the Future Combat Air System (FCAS, or Système de Combat Aérien du Futur – SCAF – in French) has been shelved by German Chancellor Merz and French President Macron. The program dates back to at least 2017, and was expected …
DEXYPTAGE - The German Chancellor is scheduled to formalize this Wednesday the end of this project launched in 2017, due to the too deep differences between Dassault Aviation and Airbus.
Taipei Times
France, Germany abandon joint fighter jet project
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France and Germany scrap fighter jet plan France and Germany pulled the plug on plans to jointly build a next-generation fighter jet on Monday, a core pillar of Europe’s largest defense project. The $115.6 billion Future Combat Air System (FCAS) defense initiative was launched by Macron and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel back in 2017, but months of disagreements between the companies involved, France’s Dassault Aviation and European Airb…
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