The FCAS (Future Combat Air System) fighter jet project has been called off: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron have agreed to terminate the multi-billion-euro defense project. German government sources stated that the two leaders had jointly concluded that the potential contractors, Dassault and Airbus, would be unable to reach an agreement on the construction of a joint fighter jet.
The development of a sixth-generation fighter jet was intended to be a flagship project for better European coordination on defense projects—and to ensure greater independence from the U.S. Originally, FCAS program was designed to have a replacement for the Bundeswehr’s Eurofighter and the French Rafale starting in 2040.
