After months of negotiations and repeated delays, Germany and France on Monday ended their cooperation on the Future Combat Air System (FCAS).
According to the Élysée Palace, "the German authorities took the view that it was not possible to put further pressure on the companies concerned."
The decision brings to an end years of efforts to develop a next-generation European fighter jet.
FCAS was widely seen as the most ambitious defence project ever undertaken in Europe. Launched in Paris in 2017 by French President Emmanuel Macron and then German Chancellor Angela Merkel, it was intended to form the backbone of European air power for decades to come.
At the heart of the programme was a fighter jet, known as the "Next Generation Weapon System" (NGWS), designed to operate alongside unmanned drones and connected through a digital combat cloud. The aircraft was expected to combine stealth technology, electronic warfare capabilities and long-range strike systems.
