Latest news with #FutureCombatAirSystem
Yahoo
25-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Germany, France to ‘clarify' FCAS project by year-end as firms bicker
PARIS — Germany and France will 'clarify the situation' regarding their Future Combat Air System project by the end of the year, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said after a July 24 meeting with his French counterpart, in response to bickering between partner companies about work share. 'Some of the involved companies not only have enormous amounts of expertise, they also have – naturally – their own interests and their own will,' Pistorius said in a joint press conference with French Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu in Osnabrück, western Germany. 'We knew that from the beginning.' 'What's important for the two of us is that the projects represent German-French cooperation and partnership, they don't represent national egotism.' French plane maker Dassault Aviation, the lead on developing a new fighter jet at the heart of the system, has been vocal about wanting a larger role. Its CEO Eric Trappier has repeatedly complained of delays due to wrangling over work share with Airbus, which represents Germany and Spain for the fighter segment of the project. France has proposed to partners Germany and Spain to reconsider the FCAS work share to ensure the project meets its 2040 deadline, the country's armaments directorate said earlier this month. The FCAS project has arrived at a 'moment of truth,' with the next step of phase 2 including the development of a demonstrator, Lecornu said. That raises 'more operational questions, because the coming phases will tie us together definitely to produce an aircraft,' the French minister said. Pistorius acknowledged that hurdles exist, but said none of those are insurmountable. Lecornu said the partners audited what worked and what didn't in phases 1A and 1B of the project, and the meeting in Osnabrück will allow the ministers to issue instructions to their armaments agencies as well as the companies involved, 'since obviously everyone must participate in the solutions.' Strengthening Europe's defense readiness can only succeed through close French-German cooperation, Pistorius said, adding that both ministers are fully committed to both FCAS as well as the future Main Ground Combat System. He said the future land-combat system is scheduled for 2040. The French minister said the first criteria for FCAS is that the project corresponds to the needs of the countries' armed forces, trumping any other concerns. For France, those needs include being able to carry a nuclear weapon as well as being able to operate from an aircraft carrier. 'Basically, we are not here to carry out industrial operations or projects, but to carry out armament projects for our forces, and as a result, place orders with our manufacturers,' Lecornu said. 'This is a slight novelty, as for years cooperation was sometimes aimed at developing our industries.' The second criteria is that the FCAS project stick to its timetable, with a delay of three, four or five years meaning Germany and France could fall behind, according to Lecornu. While the timetable calls for FCAS to be fully operational by 2040, Trappier at Dassault has repeatedly said delays make 2045 more likely for the fighter. For France, a third consideration is that the project respects the country's sovereignty, Lecornu said. Germany will not stand in the way of future exports related to the FCAS program, Pistorius said, stressing the question of arms exports is a national one, with no role for the European Commission. Sebastian Sprenger in Cologne, Germany, contributed to this report. Solve the daily Crossword
Bloomberg
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Germany, France Pledge to Solve Fighter-Jet Row By End of August
Germany and France sought to defuse lingering tensions over a planned joint fighter program, asking their defense ministers to present a solution by the end of next month as one of the region's most ambitious weapons systems remains mired in conflict. Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the next-generation Future Combat Air System over dinner near Berlin on Wednesday night. Their defense ministers will seek to evaluate a 'realistic perspective for further cooperation' and present proposals for a settlement in the last week of August, in time for a joint Franco-German cabinet meeting, a German government spokesman said.
Euractiv
23-07-2025
- Business
- Euractiv
Belgium can't buy American F-35s and still join Europe's FCAS fighter jet programme, says French aviation chief
The Belgian government can't expect to join France, Germany and Spain in developing Europe's Future Combat Air System (FCAS) project if it buys America-made F-35 fighter jets, the CEO of Dassault Aviation, Éric Trappier, said on Tuesday. Speaking at the company's quarterly financial results event, the chief of the FCAS programme's major contractor said a commitment to buying locally-produced defence gear was a major criteria for joining the fighter jet programme. "If [Belgium] gives up the idea of buying F-35s, they'd be welcome, if they are not, then that's really making a monkey out of us," the French aviation executive said. On Friday, the Belgian government gave the green light to a plan to participate in the French-German-Spanish FCAS programme, while setting out plans for an airforce flying both the F-35, a 5th generation fighter jet from the US, and the FCAS jet which should only be ready by 2040. Trappier sees Belgium's plan to request full FCAS membership as incoherent, stating that the Belgians would want to benefit from the jobs created from the programme work "but will buy from the US". Addressing recent speculation about the state of negotiations between Paris and Berlin over the project, Trappier also denied that France was demanding the majority of the work share for the 6th generation FCAS fighter jet programme. 'We're not requesting 80% of the work,' Trappier said. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who recently acknowledged discord with Paris over FCAS, is set to meet his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday in Berlin, while their defence ministers meet a day later. (jp)
Bloomberg
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Merz, Macron to Discuss Fighter Jet Leadership
00:00 German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron are set to meet in Berlin to address escalating tensions over the Future Combat Air System jet program. The dispute centers on a leadership tussle between the two main defense contractors, France's Dassault Aviation and Airbus. Let's talk to Bloomberg's Benedict Kammel, who leads our global aviation coverage. What then, Benny, is this dispute all about? Well, it's really between Airbus on the one side, which sort of broadly represent the German side. And on the other side, you have Dassault representing the French side. And the question really is who is going to lead this program? They did have an agreement saying we want it to be broadly equal as a third company in this Indra, of Spain. So the idea was let's have sort of equal share of this program, the future aircraft combat system. So but then Dassault came out and said we would like to have a leadership role in this. The reason being we make the Rafale fighter jet. We know a thing or two about building these. We should really be in control. We can't be some sort of a happy socialist union here. We need to have one party in control, and that's us. That obviously didn't sit well with Airbus. All of this broke into the open last month at the Paris Air Show. So you had Airbus on the one side saying, why are we relitigating this whole issue? We thought we'd had an agreement. This is really tiring. Then on the other side, you had Dassault coming out and saying, well, this is the way it should be. Take it our way, or we might even walk away from the whole program. So this is where we're at right now. So you're bringing the adults in, as it were, you bringing in the political leadership and saying, guys, you need to sort this out, you need to sort this out. It's Europe at stake. It's one of the key programs at stake. And hopefully today and in the next couple of weeks, they will find some kind of an agreement.
Mint
23-07-2025
- Business
- Mint
Dassault Reiterates Goal to Lead Franco-German Warplane Project
(Bloomberg) -- France's Dassault Aviation SA reiterated it wants to lead the Franco-German next-generation Future Combat Air System fighter jet, giving it sweeping oversight over the project that's caused friction with partner Airbus SE. Chief Executive Officer Eric Trappier said his company would like to pilot the program with the ability to choose subcontractors and drop any of those that don't perform. Trappier, speaking in a press conference in Paris on Tuesday, denied reports that Dassault was seeking an 80% share in the FCAS project. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will seek to quell growing friction over the fighter jet program when they meet for high-profile consultations in Berlin on Wednesday. Dassault is jointly developing the FCAS warplane with Airbus SE and Spain's Indra Sistemas SA. Berlin has opposed attempts by Dassault to take a larger share of the project, and Germany's aviation lobby, BDLI, said it risks dooming the joint European fighter jet plan. In stark contrast, British defense company BAE Systems Plc is speeding ahead with the development of its next-generation Tempest fighter jet, with test aircraft on track to fly within three years. The program includes Italy's Leonardo SpA, Japanese partners, Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc and missile company MBDA. Also, Sweden's Saab AB program to build the Gripen D fighter jet is gaining momentum after struggling to win sales from other countries. Earlier this year, Trappier said he backed a leading role on FCAS, pointing to Dassault's experience when it pulled from a venture project in the 1980s and went solo to build the Rafale fighter jet. Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine has heightened Europe's focus on territorial security, while President Donald Trump has prodded NATO allies to boost military spending, even as he raises doubts about the US commitment to the region's defense. As European governments supersize defense budgets, some are considering alternatives to American-made weapons such as Lockheed Martin Corp.'s F-35. The US, China and Russia are also developing sixth-generation aircraft, which are likely to include enhanced stealth, sensor and autonomous capabilities as well as the improved ability to coordinate with other aircraft and drones. More stories like this are available on
