The €100 billion FCAS project, launched in 2017, has been stalled for over a year
Berlin and Paris have finally decided to end work on the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) common fighter jet project, a German government official confirmed to Euractiv, ending years of political and industrial acrimony.
“President Macron and the Chancellor have come to the shared conclusion that the companies involved are unable to reach an agreement on the construction of a joint fighter aircraft,” the insider said.
“Chancellor Merz has therefore advised President Macron not to pursue the construction of a joint fighter aircraft any further. The core of FCAS is to be continued as a European system of systems. This is, in a sense, the nervous system that links aircraft, drones and other components into an integrated whole,” they added.
The two defence ministries have now been tasked with drawing up a joint work plan for “defence industrial cooperation” that would focus on “a few realistic, relevant projects”, the official also said.