Germany, France and Spain are making a new attempt this week to overcome the long-standing blockade over the European Next Generation Fighter Aircraft (FCAS) program - a strategic project estimated at up to 100 billion euros and considered key to Europe's defense capability amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, Reuters reports, reports News.bg.
The renewed pressure comes as political will to save the FCAS initiative, launched more than eight years ago but stalled due to tensions between industrial partners. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and his French counterpart Catherine Vautrin are meeting in Berlin today, and will be joined by Spanish Minister Margarita Robles tomorrow.
The development of the FCAS has been stalled by differences between France's Dassault Aviation and Airbus, which continue to argue over the division of production tasks and technological development. A spokesman for the German Defense Ministry confirmed that defense contracts are on the agenda for talks in Berlin, including the question of the future of the FCAS.
Next week, both German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron will try to find a way to compromise.
New focus to save the project
A senior German lawmaker expressed hope that the focus on the “Combat Cloud“ - a data exchange network - and on unmanned systems can offer a solution. This way, each country could continue the development of its own fighter jet without having to go into full joint production.
However, tensions increased further after the German union IG Metall warned that it was ready to stop cooperation if Dassault remained part of the project. In a letter to Pistorius and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, the union said that it had lost confidence in the French company because of its pursuit of one-way management.
A reaction quickly followed on the French side: the metalworking employers' organization, led by Dassault boss Eric Trappier, said that it could not accept decisions that threatened France's industrial interests.
Uncertain future, but hope for progress
In July, Trappier stressed that the project needed clearer management before the start of the second phase, which involves the creation of a flying demonstrator. Meanwhile, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury expressed optimism that FCAS will move forward, although the modalities of cooperation have not yet been specified.
EU leaders are planning a meeting in Brussels between December 17 and 19, and Chancellor Merz said he wants a decision on the program's future to be made before the end of the year.