Scrapping of Franco-German fighter jet leaves allies at odds on defence future
Germany has pulled the plug on a joint fighter jet programme with France, in a blow to European defence co-operation. The flagship project had been billed as an ambitious and unparalleled military partnership. Instead, it became a glaring example of discord between the two natio
Germany has pulled the plug on a joint fighter jet programme with France, in a blow to European defence co-operation.
The flagship project had been billed as an ambitious and unparalleled military partnership. Instead, it became a glaring example of discord between the two nations.
The decision undermines efforts to show that Europe can act strategically and with common purpose.
It also comes at a time of fraying ties with the US, and continued Russian aggression in Ukraine.
The project was "conceived in a different world", said Christoph Bergs - an air power analyst at the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi).
The jet was a key part of the wider Future Combat Air System (FCAS) scheme. It was a plan hatched in 2017 by then German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, and a freshly elected French President, Emmanuel Macron.
Back then, it was a way of "resetting" Franco-German relations and pooling what were, at the time, more "limited" financial resources in terms of defence expenditure, Bergs explained.
"This is a revolution," declared Macron at the time. "But we're not afraid of revolutions when they are peaceful, well-thought and meant to last."
