France and Germany scrap FCAS joint fighter jet project, say sources

Berlin [Germany], June 9: A multibillion-euro Franco-German fighter jet project has collapsed after years of preparations, German government sources said on Monday. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron have come to the joint conclusion that Dassault and Airbus are unable to agree on the construction of the jet, the sources said.
Merz has therefore advised Macron not to pursue the construction of a joint fighter jet any further. However, the joint networking of different weapon systems, platforms or sensors in a so-called "combat cloud" is to be continued, meaning the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme is not completely off the table.
Years in the making Then German chancellor Angela Merkel and Macron had given the go-ahead for the prestigious project in July 2017. However, Airbus and Dassault's visions of a fighter jet's capabilities had recently diverged significantly. (dpa)
Source: Qatar Tribune