"Eight years of commitment, 2.5 billion in investment," Defence Minister Catherine Vautrin told parliament, referring to the joint German-French jet project.

"It means that almost all of this investment will enable us to continue working on a fighter jet through 2040," she added.

"This is obviously a major technical asset for our country's sovereignty."

The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme was launched in 2017 to replace France's Rafale jets and the Eurofighter planes used by Germany and Spain.

On Monday, France and Germany said they had agreed to abandon the joint fighter jet programme due to disagreements between the companies involved, in a blow to European efforts to boost defence cooperation.

"The German authorities considered that it was not possible to put any further pressure on the companies concerned," an Elysee official said.

The multi-billion-dollar programme was beset by disagreements between the firms involved -- France's Dassault Aviation and Airbus, which represents Germany and Spain.

The head of Dassault Aviation, Eric Trappier, has insisted his firm can build the future European fighter jet by itself.

Speaking on Wednesday, Vautrin praised "the commitment of the French industrial team.

"I would like to mention Dassault, Safran, Thales and the entire ecosystem," she said. "This is the only team in Europe capable of producing a fighter jet entirely independently."

In Berlin on Thursday, a group of companies led by Airbus is set to present their plan for a next-generation fighter jet, hoping to replace the Franco-German FCAS project.

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Dassault Aviation

Airbus Group

THALES