A Collapse Over Control and Design
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed last week to scrap the Future Combat Air System, a next-generation fighter jet program that has consumed more than €100 billion ($115 billion) since its launch in 2017. The decision, confirmed by officials in Berlin and Paris on Monday, ends one of Europe's most ambitious defense collaborations after years of disputes between manufacturers Dassault Aviation and Airbus Defence and Space.
The two companies clashed over control of the project's next phase, access to intellectual property, and differing requirements for the aircraft itself. French arms giant Dassault demanded significantly more control than its European consortium partner Airbus, creating an impasse that neither side could overcome. The program had aimed to build a fighter to replace Eurofighters and Rafales by around 2040.
Political Fallout in Both Countries
Thomas Erndl, defense policy spokesman for Merz's conservatives in the German Bundestag, said the decision to scrap the project was the correct one. Merz himself stated that "the expertise in military aircraft construction exists in Germany. German industry can and must now prove its capabilities," calling for cooperation with other partners instead.
Franziska Brantner, co-leader of Germany's Green Party, described the failure as a serious setback for European security and defense policy. She told the Handelsblatt newspaper that "where industry blocks progress, it is the task of politicians to show leadership and push things through."
In France, Cedric Perrin, chief of the foreign affairs and defense committee at the French Senate, offered a blunt assessment. He said Macron "was the only one who still believed in the survival of FCAS."
Broader Stakes for European Defense
The project's collapse comes as Western military officials warn of a mounting threat from Russia and the United States intensifies pressure on Europe to take care of its own defense. Rearming Europe has been a priority not only for Germany and France but also for all 27 members of the European Union, many of whom have expressed concerns about their security following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The scrapped partnership had been billed as a symbol of Franco-German military unity, but Merz and Macron had publicly vowed to make it succeed despite mounting industrial tensions. Germany and France now plan to focus instead on a Combat Cloud linking aircraft, drones and sensors. Defense officials are due to meet in mid-July to reset cooperation around smaller projects, marking a significant retreat from the ambitions that once defined their defense relationship.
