Franco-German fighter jet project fails

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• The armaments project for a Franco-German fighter jet has failed.
• The two companies Dassault from France and Airbus from Germany were unable to reach an agreement.
• The go-ahead for the prestigious project was given by then German Chancellor Merkel and French President Macron back in July 2017.

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After long disputes, the multi-billion euro armaments project for a Franco-German fighter jet failed. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron came to the joint conclusion that the companies Dassault and Airbus would not come together on the project, according to German government circles. "They recognize this reality."

Merz therefore suggested to Macron that the construction of a joint fighter aircraft should be discontinued. However, the joint networking of different weapon systems such as aircraft and drones or sensors in a so-called "Combat Cloud" should be continued. The "Future Combat Air System" FCAS project is therefore not completely off the table.

In mid-July, the two defense ministries of Germany and France are to present a "contemporary work plan" for defense industry cooperation at a joint cabinet meeting (Council of Ministers), "focused on a few realistic, relevant projects". On the German side, the failure after a long delay is now seen as an opportunity to look ahead again and concentrate on the essentials of security policy beyond symbolic projects.

Merkel and Macron gave the go-ahead in 2017

The go-ahead for the prestigious project was given by then Chancellor Angela Merkel and Macron in July 2017. However, Airbus and Dassault's ideas about the capabilities of a fighter jet have recently diverged widely.

Dassault had claimed an outsized share of the project as well as the lead. The German side, on the other hand, expressed the expectation that Dassault would "adhere to the existing agreements", according to which the companies should be equally involved. There had also been repeated disputes about the division in the past.

Decision postponed several times

The political decision on the project was postponed several times. At a meeting on the fringes of the Western Balkans summit in Montenegro, Macron and Merz now agreed to pull the plug. Spain is also involved in the project with the manufacturer Indra.

For Germany and France, who like to present themselves as the driving force behind Europe, this is a bitter political blow. Macron has been insisting on European sovereignty and joint armaments projects for years. The fact that the most ambitious European armaments project to date is now failing due to industrial policy disagreements with one of his closest partners does not correspond to the signal of unity that he would like to send and is also a very personal failure for him as co-initiator of the project.

Merz also cited different requirements as a problem

FCAS stands for "Future Combat Air System" and would have been the largest and most expensive European armaments project if it had been realized. The air combat system was to fly in conjunction with unarmed and armed drones and was therefore planned as more than just a combat aircraft. The plan was for it to replace the Eurofighter used by the German Armed Forces and the French Rafale from 2040. The total costs were estimated at more than 100 billion euros. Germany, France and Spain, which was also involved, had been struggling for months to realize the project.

Merz also recently cited the fact that the French need a different fighter aircraft to the Bundeswehr as a key problem. In the next generation of fighter aircraft, France needs a nuclear-capable and an aircraft carrier-capable aircraft, which the Bundeswehr does not currently need.

Who is Germany building a new fighter jet with?

Germany will probably look for new partners for the development of a new fighter jet instead of France. Cooperation with Sweden and the armaments company Saab is conceivable. The new NATO country is experienced in military aircraft construction. Although it is smaller and therefore economically weaker, it faces a situation comparable to that of Germany.

Great Britain would have been a natural partner: An existing alliance in the construction of the Eurofighter, which the British call Typhoon, could have been the basis. However, the UK has already been awarded the contract and is involved in the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP) project together with Japan and Italy.

Union politician: "Pioneering and correct decision"

Thomas Erndl (CSU), spokesperson for defense policy for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag, welcomed the halt to the Franco-German project as a "groundbreaking and correct decision". "The expertise in military aircraft construction is available in Germany. German industry can and must now prove its capabilities." To this end, cooperation with other partners should be examined quickly.