Germany, France pledge to settle row over FCAS fighter jet by year end
France's Sébastien Lecornu and Germany's Boris Pistorius both expressed their support for the programme, which also includes Spain and has been riven by conflict between top aerospace contractors, particularly France's Dassault Aviation and Germany's Airbus Defence.
"We want to clarify the situation at FCAS by the end of the year. We will need to discuss the obstacles," Pistorius said.
Lecornu said the FCAS programme is approaching "the moment of truth" as development move toward building a prototype of the fighter jet, "and of course there are many issues that need to be clarified".
Conflict over FCAS burst into public this summer as Dassault's CEO lobbed criticism at key partners in the project, while executives at Airbus Defence fired back. Media reports that Dassault was seeking to reconfigure contracts to take a greater share of the programme triggered further wrangling over the project.
"It comes as no surprise in large-scale projects that some of the companies involved not only have a wealth of expertise, but also their own interests and their own will," Pistorius said on Thursday. "We knew that from the outset."
The German defence minister said both countries remain "completely clear and unanimous" in their support for FCAS, as well as the Franco-German Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) effort to develop a next-generation main battle tank.
His French counterpart, however, sought to keep the future tank programme – in which German defence contractors are taking the lead – separate from the FCAS issue, saying it was a project with a very different timeline and set of agreements.
The overriding concern for France and Germany, Lecornu contended, is whether the FCAS project can deliver a fully capable aircraft by 2040, the project's current target delivery date. For the French Air Force, Lecornu noted, those capabilities will include carrying nuclear weapons.
"Project management requires a clear organisational structure of the companies' responsibilities and accountabilities," the French minister said. "We are putting a lot on the line with FCAS."
Lecornu said that the sprawling complexity of the project – involving numerous contractors – "is of course a weak point, as we may not be able to keep to the schedule."
"But the Chinese and others (...) will not wait for us. And if we lose time here with lengthy discussions, then a major battle will already have begun. In 2040, we will either be at the forefront or we will be left behind," he said. "We have developed various scenarios that we will present to the chancellor and the president for a decision."
(jp)
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