German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Thursday that he and his French and Spanish counterparts will meet in October to explore ways of restarting the stalled FCAS joint fighter jet programme.
Acknowledging that the project had kept facing setbacks, Pistorius said the ministers would identify stumbling blocks and solutions before presenting leaders with options for a final decision later in the year.
“We will all pull together, and national interests will need to be put aside by one or the other or all of us. It is clear we are damned to succeed, we need this project,” Pistorius told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting with his Spanish counterpart Margarita Robles in Berlin.
Berlin blames French industry for blocking the next phase in the development of the FCAS programme, estimated to cost more than 100 billion euros ($117 billion), by demanding sole leadership of the project, according to reports.
France’s Dassault Aviation which is responsible for the core crewed fighter part of the project, declined to comment.
France-Germany Differences Could Hinder The Launch
Airbus and Indra are also involved in the scheme to start replacing French Rafale and German and Spanish Eurofighters with a sixth-generation fighter jet from 2040.
But Berlin and Paris are at odds over the composition of the consortium. France has told Germany it wants a work-share of some 80% in FCAS, a defence industry source said in July.
The differences could jeopardize the launch of the second phase, namely developing airworthy demonstrators, that had originally been scheduled for the end of this year, according to defence sources.
Pistorius said a decision on whether or not to launch the second phase of the project would be taken in the fourth quarter.
Asked about what options are available to get the project back on track by the end of the year, he said: “The answer is rather simple: Contracts are struck to be adhered to… If there is a wish for changes, then these are only possible after fresh negotiations between the partners.”
“One thing is clear: This process must not carry on for ages… We need to gain speed now because the project does not allow for any further delays.”
Robles said Spain was committed to the FCAS project.
“This is an essential and fundamental project that we must invigorate, and we must invigorate it as much as possible,” she said. “Spain’s commitment is total and this programme must continue.”
Spain earlier this month said it was no longer considering the option of buying U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets and would choose between Eurofighter and FCAS as it refocuses its defence spending on buying European-made equipment.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Wednesday he had agreed with French President Emmanuel Macron to make a decision on the future of FCAS by the end of the year.
(With inputs from Reuters)
