Scrapping of Franco-German fighter jet leaves allies at odds on defence future

Germany has pulled the plug on a joint fighter jet programme with France, in a blow to European defence co-operation.

The flagship project had been billed as an ambitious and unparalleled military partnership. Instead, it became a glaring example of discord between the two nations.

The decision undermines efforts to show that Europe can act strategically and with common purpose.

It also comes at a time of fraying ties with the US, and continued Russian aggression in Ukraine.

So, how did we get here and why does it matter?

The project was "conceived in a different world", said Christoph Bergs - an air power analyst at the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi).

The jet was a key part of the wider Future Combat Air System (FCAS) scheme. It was a plan hatched in 2017 by then German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, and a freshly elected French President, Emmanuel Macron.

Back then, it was a way of "resetting" Franco-German relations and pooling what were, at the time, more "limited" financial resources in terms of defence expenditure, Bergs explained.

"This is a revolution," declared Macron at the time. "But we're not afraid of revolutions when they are peaceful, well-thought and meant to last."

He has long championed the idea that Europe must pull together in areas like defence, to make itself less dependent on partners who may prove unreliable.

There are multiple pillars within FCAS including engines, sensors and a digital intelligence network known as "combat cloud".

But the jet always took centre stage.

German officials claim "core" aspects of the project – outside of the fighter plane – will continue, but it isn't exactly clear what that means.

What is known is that disagreements emerged, over time, between the main industry players, France's Dassault Aviation and European aerospace firm Airbus – which represented Germany and Spain, who joined the project later.

There were disputes about control of the scheme and how the work would be divided up.

In France, Dassault was seen as the prime contractor, but prominent German defence analyst Nico Lange claimed the problem ultimately lay with the French firm, amid German reports that it was pushing for a leadership role.

"Things go well with other French companies," said Lange on X. "FCAS is not synonymous with "European defence… there will be many other good projects."

Dassault has yet to comment on the situation.

However, it also became apparent that Germany and France were after different things.

The French wanted a "small, light fighter" that could take off from its Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, whereas the Germans wanted a bigger jet that could offer "air superiority", said Rusi's Christoph Bergs.

At the same time, German industry has become "emboldened" by massive domestic hikes in defence expenditure, meaning it's less likely to make concessions it didn't see as feasible, observes Bergs.