The billion-dollar FCAS fighter jet project of the future is collapsing after years of preparation. An agreement between Dassault Aviation and Airbus on a key design of the machine has failed.
A French-German project aimed at developing fighter jets has collapsed after years of preparation, German government sources said on Monday. According to them, Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron have reached a joint conclusion that Dassault Aviation and Airbus are unable to agree on the design of the aircraft, TASR reports, according to reports from the DPA and AFP agencies.
The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program, in which Spain also participates, was supposed to be put into operation in 2040. The system was supposed to work in conjunction with drones and eventually replace the German Eurofighter fighters and the French Rafale fighter jets.
Adding Spain to the project
Macron launched this project in 2017 with then German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and later Spain joined it.
The development was marred by a dispute between France’s Dassault Aviation and Airbus, which represents German and Spanish interests. Last September, Dassault Aviation announced that Paris was ready to work on the project independently if negotiations with Berlin and Madrid failed. They expressed indignation at the company’s attitude.
