According to German media reports, a final attempt to broker a compromise between Germany and France on the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) has failed.
The €100 billion project to develop a next-generation fighter jet and its accompanying combat system has stalled for more than a year as the interests of Berlin and Paris have increasingly divergent.
of mediation pair tasked with overcoming the deadlock failed to reach a common position. Instead, they are said to produce separate reports outlining their respective conclusions, German media Handelsblatt reported on Saturday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
After political efforts at ministerial level failed, both governments turned to industry heavyweights to resolve the dispute between German prime contractor for the project, Airbus Defence, and the French equivalent, Dassault Aviation.
Berlin chose defense industry chief Frank Haun, while Paris sent Laurent Collet-Billon, the former head of the French procurement agency DGA.
Both brought binational expertisewith Haun having been a key player in the formation of Franco-German tank manufacturer KNDS and Collet-Billion paving the way for the once struggling 400M military transport aircraft.
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But even those Franco-German credentials weren’t enough. The existence of two competing reports underscores how far apart the two sides remain.
When asked by Euractiv Asked how the mediation process was progressing on Friday, Airbus Defense and Dassault gave almost identical “no comment” responses.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is said to decide by Tuesday whether the program surrounding a future fighter jet, accompanied by autonomous drones and a fighter cloud, will go ahead.
He will meet French President Emmanuel Macron at an informal summit of EU leaders in Cyprus on Thursday.
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As both national industries grapple with insurmountable leadership differences, Berlin and Paris are increasingly diverging on the ideal capabilities of the future fighter jet.
Merz of Germany said recently that his country has different needs in this matter than France, which needs the aircraft to be able to carry its nuclear weapons and land on an aircraft carrier. The German Air Force, on the other hand, would like the gunner to focus more on range.
A possible solution could be development two separate planes and continue to develop other elements of the project together with the third partner, Spain.
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