The European FCAS (Future Combat Air System) program, intended to develop a sixth-generation fighter jet between Spain, Germany, and France, has been broken this Monday after years of talks, due to deep disagreements between the partners involved.
Sources from the German Executive have indicated that Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron have concluded that the French conglomerate Dassault Aviation and the European manufacturer Airbus will not be able to reach a consensus on who should assume leadership of the project.
Merz has recommended to the French Head of State that he abandon this defense program, considered the most ambitious to date and which was presented in July 2017 by then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Macron. However, the German leader has shown himself to be in favor of continuing with the development of a combat cloud.
The initiative, which aimed to replace the currently operational Eurofighters and Rafales from 2040 onwards, had been stuck for some time due to tensions between the parties. While the French industry aspired to lead the project alone, Berlin had recalled that the signed contracts "must be fulfilled," meaning that companies should participate on equal terms.
Spain was also part of the program through Indra, focused on the development of sensors, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and collaborative combat capabilities. Its CEO, Ángel Escribano, already lamented in March the blocking of "one of the most strategic industrial projects for Europe and for Spain."
Likewise, the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, demanded France last January to unblock the initiative "once and for all" and urged the parties to leave their differences behind, although the program has ultimately foundered.