France, Germany and Spain are partners in the €100 billion fighter jet programme, though Spain and its lead contractor Indra have so far stayed out of the Franco-German dispute.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Europe’s €100 billion fighter jet project must respect the original work-sharing deal among Spain, Germany and France, effectively backing Berlin in its dispute with Paris.
France’s push for a larger role in developing the fighter jet has fuelled fears that the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) project with Germany and Spain could collapse.
“Spain’s interest in this project is genuine, it is total, it is absolute, but of course on the conditions that had been agreed in advance by the three countries: Germany, France and Spain,” said Sánchez at a press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday evening.
The FCAS project involves a stealth fighter jet linked with autonomous drones and a digital combat cloud. It is nearing a major milestone, with the planning phase wrapping up and a prototype of the fighter jet, its centrepiece, due next.
Dassault Aviation, France’s leading military aircraft manufacturer and main contractor for the project, has demanded a stronger role in the decision-making process. This has caused pushback from the German aerospace industry as Berlin and Paris face an end-of-2025 deadline to agree on a solution.
On Thursday, Merz said that, although there is an agreement on the project, “we cannot continue as things are at present.” He added that talks among the three parties are ongoing.
Spain and its lead contractor Indra have largely remained out of the public Franco-German dispute.
While Dassault and Airbus are developing the fighter jet and the accompanying drones, Indra is leading work on the sensors, which gather and distribute information to enable the jets and drones to operate together as a networked system.
Experts say Paris and Berlin are bound to remain in an uneasy partnership, even though technically alternatives such as joining the UK-led project, or partnering with other countries exist.
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