France and Germany have ended plans to jointly develop the FCAS fighter jet, halting the main aircraft element of a major European defence project, according to media reports on June 9.
The Future Combat Air System was launched in 2017 to replace France’s Rafale and Germany’s Eurofighter fleets by around 2040. Spain also joined the programme.
A German government official told POLITICO that President Emmanuel Macron of France and Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany concluded that the companies involved could not agree on a joint fighter jet.
The dispute centred on control of the aircraft’s development. France’s Dassault Aviation sought lead authority, while Airbus Defence and Space opposed a role that it viewed as too limited for Germany and Spain.
The Élysée Palace said Airbus and Dassault had failed to bridge their differences. It said German authorities had concluded that further pressure on the companies would not resolve the deadlock.
Berlin, Germany, and Paris, France, in Western Europe, had also differed over the aircraft’s military requirements.
France wanted a lighter jet capable of carrier operations, while Germany favoured a larger platform for air-superiority missions.
Read: Japan, Britain and Italy to build joint jet fighter
Germany indicated that other FCAS elements could continue. A German official said the wider system could still link aircraft, drones and other platforms through a shared combat network.
German defence officials are expected to work with France on a new industrial roadmap focused on fewer and more realistic projects.
German media reported that Merz could formally address the decision at the ILA Berlin Air Show on June 10.
