The failure of the 100 billion euro program to create a next-generation European fighter jet has forced countries to seek alternative options, Politico reports, according to UNN.
Details
For nearly a decade, the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program was intended to embody a new vision of European military power: a joint effort by France, Germany, and Spain—with Belgium participating as an observer—to create not just a fighter jet, but an entire networked system of aircraft, drones, sensors, and satellites capable of competing.
But after Berlin halted the program this week due to irreconcilable differences between the French company Dassault Aviation and Germany's Airbus Defence and Space, countries are now scrambling to figure out what to do with their air force plans.
Germany and France have abandoned joint development of a next-generation fighter jet09.06.26, 04:38
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever called the failure of FCAS "pure stupidity," warning that European countries have chosen "to be insignificant in the most critical part of air defense."
As the publication writes, there are three main options for further developments:
- the first is an attempt by countries to go their own way and create their own fighter jets—a proposal already being put forward by German companies, and one that Dassault says France could carry out. However, this could lead to duplication, and limited national budgets may prove unable to handle the burden;
- alternatively, countries could turn to Lockheed Martin's F-35, which is more advanced than existing European competitors. Germany is already looking to expand its fleet, and Belgium also operates these fighters. But neither France nor Spain is buying them, which undermines the idea that Europe would become less dependent on the United States under Donald Trump;
- finally, countries could join existing projects—primarily the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), led by Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom—or attempt to salvage parts of FCAS, such as the drones and the so-called combat cloud.
Japan, Britain and Italy sign a joint agreement to develop a new fighter jet14.12.23, 13:51