France and Germany said on Monday they had agreed to abandon a joint fighter jet programme due to disagreements between the companies involved, in a blow to European efforts to boost defence cooperation. The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme was launched in 2017 to replace France’s Rafale jets and the Eurofighter planes used by Germany and Spain.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The project was seen as a key test of European efforts to work more closely on defence as they seek to present a united front in the face of a hostile Russia at a time of souring ties with the United States. But the multi-billion-dollar programme was beset by disagreements between the firms involved -- France’s Dassault Aviation and Airbus, which represents Germany and Spain. A German government official told AFP that Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron had “reached the shared assessment that the companies will not be able to come together on building a joint combat aircraft. “They acknowledge this reality.” The official however said other parts of the wide-ranging project will continue. “The actual core of FCAS is to be continued as a European system,” the official said, describing it as a “nervous system that networks aircraft, drones and other components into an integrated whole”. The French and German defence ministries are set to draw up a plan for defence cooperation “focused on a few realistic and relevant projects” at a forthcoming meeting, the official added.