Germany and France have again postponed the decision on the European Future Combat Air System (FCAS), this time to an indefinite date. A government spokesperson attributed this to a comprehensive agenda in foreign and security policy matters. The future of the expensive prestige project remains uncertain.
The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) is regarded as the most important and expensive prestige project in European arms cooperation. It is intended to include a fighter aircraft operating in conjunction with armed and unarmed drones, replacing the Eurofighter from 2040 onward. In addition to Germany and France, Spain plans to participate, with total costs estimated in the hundreds of billions of euros.
Originally, the decision on the project's realization was due by the end of August 2023. Due to disagreements over the shares of companies Dassault, Airbus, and Indra, it was postponed to the end of the year. Now, even this deadline has passed. 'Contrary to the original planning, a final decision on the continuation of the FCAS project by the end of the year has not yet been made,' a government spokesperson told the German Press Agency (dpa).
The spokesperson explained: 'The reason for this was the comprehensive German-French agenda in foreign and security policy issues, which has not yet allowed for a discussion of the joint fighter aircraft topic at the level of the President and the Chancellor.' No new date can currently be named. The reporting is based on information from the defense portal 'Hartpunkt' and RND/dpa.
What happens next with the project is currently completely open. The postponement highlights ongoing challenges in European arms cooperation, particularly regarding industrial shares and political priorities.
