The next-generation aircraft initiative has been abandoned due to internal company conflicts, delivering a setback to European security collaboration efforts.
Following years of internal strife, the Franco-German endeavor to develop a joint next-generation fighter jet has fallen apart.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed last week that manufacturers Dassault and Airbus were unable to settle key disagreements, officials in Berlin and Paris confirmed on Monday.
"It was an ambitious, large-scale European project that is now collapsing in the face of reality," German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated on Tuesday.
The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program, initiated in 2017, was designed to create a next-generation fighter to replace Eurofighters and Rafales by roughly 2040.
The decision to cancel one of Europe's largest defense projects comes as Western military officials warn of a growing threat from Russia and the United States increases pressure on Europe to manage its own defense.
What went wrong with FCAS?
The more than β¬100 billion ($115 billion) project, launched in 2017, was once hailed as a symbol of Franco-German military unity.
However, it has been plagued by years of political and industrial disputes.
French arms giant Dassault Aviation has demanded significantly greater control over the project than its industry partner, European consortium Airbus Defence and Space.
The two companies clashed over control of the project's next phase, access to intellectual property, and, most importantly, differing requirements for the aircraft.
Airbus and Dassault Aviation have not immediately responded to requests for comment.
Both governments pushed for the project to succeed
Rearming Europe has been a priority not only for the continent's two largest economies but also for all 27 members of the European Union, many of whom have expressed concerns about their security following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The project's failure occurs despite Merz and Macron publicly vowing to ensure its success.
"The expertise in military aircraft construction exists in Germany. German industry can and must now prove its capabilities," Merz said, calling for cooperation with other partners.
Thomas Erndl, the defense policy spokesperson for Merz's conservatives in the German Bundestag, stated that the decision to ultimately scrap the project was the right one.
Franziska Brantner, co-leader of Germany's Green Party, described the inability to reach a consensus as a serious setback for European security and defense policy.
"Where industry blocks progress, it is the task of politicians to show leadership and push things through," she told the Handelsblatt newspaper.
Germany and France now intend to focus on a Combat Cloud linking aircraft, drones, and sensors. Defense officials are scheduled to meet in mid-July to reset cooperation around smaller projects.
Cedric Perrin, head of the foreign affairs and defense committee at the French Senate, stated that Macron "was the only one who still believed in the survival of FCAS."
Europe's massive defense gamble
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Edited by: Louis Oelofse
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