France, Germany scrap €100 billion FCAS fighter jet program
Why it matters: The collapse of one of Europe’s biggest defense projects exposes deep splits over military planning and industrial control.
France and Germany have agreed to abandon the core fighter jet portion of the Future Combat Air System, a €100 billion effort launched in 2017 with Spain to build a next-generation warplane backed by drones and a secure “combat cloud.” German officials said Chancellor Friedrich Merz and President Emmanuel Macron concluded there was no path to break months of deadlock after talks on the sidelines of the EU-Western Balkans summit in Montenegro. The dispute centered on aircraft specifications, control of the program and differing military needs. Merz had questioned whether Germany still needed a manned sixth-generation jet, especially one with nuclear and carrier-related capabilities. Parts of the wider FCAS branding may survive for non-fighter systems.