Push and pull: how the EU buried the Merkel-era fighter jet project
Paris and Berlin are curtailing work on the sixth-generation fighter, which they have been developing for almost 10 years. The first sample was supposed to take off next year. Formally, the project was ruined by a dispute over control: the parties still did not agree who would be in charge. However, some military experts believe that it's not just that. Europe can transfer resources to the "combat cloud," a digital system that combines aviation, drones, and intelligence into a single network. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
I fell on takeoff
The German-French FCAS combat aircraft project was to become the largest joint defense project in Europe. It was launched back in 2017 by French President Emmanuel Macron and then German Chancellor Angela Merkel. There was also political symbolism in this: in the same year, the United Kingdom began the procedure of leaving the EU, and in Brussels they wanted to show that Europe was capable of creating weapons of the future without London.
Later, Spain joined the project. The cost of the program was estimated at about € 100 billion. FCAS was supposed to replace the French Rafale and German Eurofighter Typhoon. The first demonstration was expected around 2027, and commissioning by 2040.
At the same time, it was not only about the new aircraft. FCAS was supposed to be a whole "system of systems": a fighter jet, attack drones, sensors and the so-called combat cloud— a digital platform that combines all these elements into a single network.
The key contractors were Dassault Aviation from the French side and Airbus from the German side. It was their conflict that became the main obstacle to the continuation of the program.
The main dispute was around the distribution of responsibilities. Dassault claimed a leading role in the creation of the fighter: it wanted to identify key contractors, be responsible for the appearance of the future machine and monitor its commissioning. Germany, on the other hand, would receive more authority in other elements of the program, and in the aircraft part it would actually remain a junior partner. Airbus insisted on equal participation in all key areas.
"If Airbus continues to adhere to its position of unwillingness to cooperate with Dassault, then the project is over," Eric Trappier, head of Dassault Aviation, warned this spring.
The disagreements also concerned the very concept of the future aircraft. France needed a fighter capable of carrying nuclear weapons and based on aircraft carriers. Germany, which does not have its own nuclear arsenal, did not need this.
"The French need a fighter jet certified as 'capable of transporting nuclear weapons' in the next generation of combat aircraft. We don't need this in the German armed forces right now," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz noted back in February.
As a result, it was decided to finally close the ambitious project. According to media reports, it was agreed on June 5 at a meeting on the sidelines of the Western Balkans summit in Montenegro.
Tug of war
Despite the failure of FCAS, the parties still have ambitions to create a new generation fighter. According to media reports, Airbus and seven other German defense companies are already working on the Team Gen 6 alliance to develop a combat aircraft. Among the possible options for Berlin are cooperation with the Swedish Saab, as well as rapprochement with the British-Italian-Japanese GCAP program.
France also does not rule out similar steps. "If necessary, we will find other partners. But it's not up to me to decide what nationality they will be. The French authorities should contact other countries to find out if they are interested in cooperating in the development of a future combat system," said Eric Trappier, head of Dassault Aviation.
As a result, instead of one common European fighter, the EU risks getting several competing projects at once. One may form around France and Dassault, the other around Germany, Airbus and new partners.
However, not all elements of the previous program have been permanently closed yet. In particular, the direction of the so-called battle cloud may remain. The French and German defense ministries are due to present specific plans at the German-French Council of Ministers in mid-July.
The FCAS story is also indicative of broader European defense ambitions. After Donald Trump's return to power in the United States, Brussels is increasingly talking about the need to strengthen its own security and reduce dependence on Washington. Moreover, there are ideas about creating a pan-European army. However, even here cooperation is stalling: Paris and Berlin are arguing about who should become the decision-making center.
There are also disagreements on another project, the Sky Shield unified air defense system. France focuses on European industry, while Germany advocates expanded purchases under existing schemes, including the American Patriot and Israeli Arrow 3. Almost four years have passed since the initiative was launched, but it has not become a full-fledged unified system.
What the experts say
The parties disagreed primarily over the issue of control over the project and the distribution of financial flows, military expert Anatoly Matviychuk said in an interview with Izvestia. At the same time, the initial task of the project, according to him, was to reduce Europe's dependence on American combat aircraft.
— They wanted to get off the aviation needle of the United States and create their own European fighter jet in order to be less dependent on the American F-35. In fact, we were talking about an attempt to create a European equivalent of such a machine," the source explains.
According to him, Germany will now look for other cooperation options. Among the possible directions, he calls negotiations with the UK, as well as a return to the format of working with Italy. At the same time, according to the expert, this project in itself does not yet have critical consequences for Russia.: The Europeans do not have the scale of production that would be needed to confront the Russian Federation.
— The general logic of European military construction is changing today. Germany's policy is aimed at moving away from the United States and, as Friedrich Merz said, becoming one of the leading military-industrial powers in Europe," Matviychuk notes.
In turn, Igor Korotchenko, editor-in-chief of the National Defense magazine, believes that instead of a long development of a new generation fighter, Brussels' resources can be redirected to create a digital platform that will integrate existing combat capabilities. In his opinion, such a change of priorities may reflect the EU's preparations for a possible military scenario against Russia at the turn of 2030.
— We are talking about the effective use of long-range drones and various types of cruise missiles. France and Germany have the potential to create a new fighter, but priority is given to what is needed here and now. Modern combat operations have shown that even multifunctional fighters are inferior in many tasks to the massive use of drones," the expert suggested.
According to him, the main task for European countries now is to deploy mass production of drones in the EU and learn how to effectively use them together with other means of destruction.
— A new digital platform is needed to coordinate all this. In fact, we are talking about the European version of a unified digital control system adapted to modern warfare," Korotchenko concluded.
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