Launched in 2017 to replace France's Rafale jets and the Eurofighter planes used by Germany and Spain, the FCAS project is being jointly developed by the three countries.

But disputes over leadership and sharing the industrial workload have stalled work between French planemaker Dassault Aviation and Airbus, the European aerospace group that is representing German and Spanish interests.

"We share the same view: the current situation is not satisfactory, we are not making progress on this project," Merz told a news conference during a visit to Madrid.

Sanchez echoed Merz's concerns while emphasising Spain's commitment to the project.

"Hopefully we can get it moving sooner rather than later, and of course the commitment of the Spanish government is total," he said.

Representatives of Germany, France and Spain are to meet in Berlin in October to try to unlock differences over the project, which aims to enhance the continent's defence autonomy.

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Dassault Aviation

Airbus Group