German MP urges split with France on fighter jet project
The Future Combat Air System (FCAS), a joint Franco-German-Spanish effort to replace the Rafale and Eurofighter jets, has stalled amid disputes between aerospace contractors Dassault and Airbus.
"France and Germany don't necessarily need the same aircraft," said Volker Mayer-Lay, an MP from Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservatives who serves as the party's air force spokesman on the parliamentary defence committee.
Mayer-Lay argued that France should build its own fighter jet, while Germany and Spain seek new partners for a separate aircraft.
Other parts of the FCAS project -- most notably an integrated computer data cloud -- could still be shared between the jets, Mayer-Lay said.
Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez are to discuss the FCAS on Wednesday on the sidelines of a Brussels summit.
Merz has pledged a decision on FCAS by the end of the year.
Mayer-Lay noted that the French military specifications for FCAS are very different from those of Germany or Spain.
France "needs a system designed for nuclear deterrence, including the use of aircraft carriers and the specific integration of delivery systems", he said.
Germany and Spain do not have aircraft carriers and have no plans to arm FCAS fighters with nuclear weapons.
Splitting the FCAS programme "would allow us to better meet national military needs and overcome obstacles to industrial cooperation", Mayer-Lay said.
Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier, France's lead contractor in the project, has repeatedly demanded more control over the project.
Trappier has claimed that his company -- which produces the Rafale jet -- could build the sixth-generation fighter on its own.
Dassault's demands have frustrated German and Spanish officials, and also aggravated leaders at Airbus Defence and Space, which has backing from Berlin.
Last week, German industrial union IG Metall -- which represents Airbus workers -- declared that "we no longer trust Dassault" and said the company has "completely disqualified itself as a reliable partner".
The total cost of the FCAS programme was estimated at 100 billion euros for the three countries -- but building two separate aircraft would significantly increase the bill.
That could be a challenge for France, where the government is under intense pressure to cut budget deficits.
Mayer-Lay urged Germany to be "open to other partnerships" including working with Swedish aerospace firm Saab or joining the rival Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), a joint effort by Britain, Italy and Japan to build a new fighter jet by 2035.
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