“Germany and France were unable to fulfill their intention to settle the conflict brewing around the project of a new generation FCAS fighter by the end of the year.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Illustrative photo: Airbus Source: the information was confirmed by a representative of the German government, reports “European Truth” with reference to Euractiv
Details: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron aimed to settle the long-running conflict over Europe’s flagship defense program Future Combat Air System (FCAS) by the end of 2025.
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“Contrary to the initial plan, the final decision on the extension of the FCAS project until the end of the year has not yet been made,” a representative of the German government told Euractiv.
At this stage, the government representative could not name a new date for the decision.
The future fighter, which is being developed to work in a network with drones and the digital combat cloud, should replace the current air fleets of the three partner countries – Germany, France and Spain – from 2040. Any further delay to the project will jeopardize this schedule.
Merz, Macron and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had planned to discuss the issue on the sidelines of a summit in Brussels in mid-December, but no announcements were made.
“The comprehensive Franco-German action program on foreign policy and security issues has not yet allowed to resolve the issue of a joint fighter jet at the level of the president and the chancellor,” said a representative of the German government.
At the heart of the dispute is the desire of French military contractor Dassault to take the lead in the project, bypassing German partner Airbus, which official Berlin considers unacceptable.
Another difficulty is that the two countries need military aircraft for different missions. France needs aircraft capable of carrying nuclear warheads and interfacing with its aircraft carrier, while Germany, which does not have an aircraft carrier, has already agreed to purchase US F-35 warplanes to carry NATO nuclear warheads.
The head of Dassault has previously cast doubt on the future of the program, saying it depends on whether Germany is willing to reconsider its dependence on US arms imports.
In October, the media reported that Europe began to seriously discuss alternatives to the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) new generation fighter project.
The countries also failed to agree on “battle cloud” and drone systems provided under the FCAS program.