Germany and France settle dispute over fighter jet project

The wrangling over the FCAS armaments project was one of the reasons for the stumbling relationship between Germany and France - now there is a breakthrough. A political agreement had been reached for the further development of the multi-billion dollar air combat system, the Ministry of Defense in Berlin and the Élysée Palace in Paris announced on Friday evening.

After intensive negotiations, FCAS has now reached an industrial agreement on the next phase of the program, according to Berlin. Parallel to the industry negotiations, it was also confirmed at the highest government level that a cooperative approach on an equal footing is being pursued in the project, which is under overall French responsibility. This clears the way for the continuation of the air combat system. France is taking the lead in the project, emphasized the Élysée Palace.

"The political agreement at FCAS is a great step and - especially in these times - an important sign of the excellent German-French-Spanish cooperation," said Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD). "It strengthens Europe's military capabilities and secures important know-how for our, but also for European industry."

France also praised the political agreement in a practically identical statement as an important step forward and a signal of cooperation with Germany and Spain, which is also involved in the project. "On the way to Europe's air forces of the future, it will be shown once again that we can master great challenges together," said Paris.

The project recently caused tension between Germany and France. The companies involved in the development of the new combat aircraft, Dassault and Airbus, had not been able to agree on the distribution of tasks; the industry had been negotiating for over a year. An Airbus spokesman confirmed the agreement and spoke of a significant stage for the important European defense project. After completing a few formal steps, the contract between industry and the three partner nations is ready to be signed.

The Ministry of Defense announced that the conclusion of the political talks paved the way for the signing of the industrial contracts. The agreement was reached shortly before a meeting between French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne and Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) next Thursday in Berlin. Since the cancellation of a Franco-German Council of Ministers at short notice at the end of October, both countries have been trying to find each other again on contentious issues.

"With this decision, we are securing the future of the Air Force and Germany as a technology location," said Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz, Inspector of the Air Force, on the breakthrough in the negotiations on FCAS. "In the future we should bundle the different approaches in Europe into one project."

The FCAS air combat system should be operational from 2040 and replace the Eurofighter. It is intended to fly in conjunction with unarmed and armed drones and is therefore more than a combat aircraft. The total costs were estimated at a three-digit billion amount. The industries of Germany, France and now also Spain are involved in the project. Another point of contention was who holds the rights of use when technological quantum leaps are financed with taxpayers' money at this level.

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