Disputes over leadership, military priorities and industrial control are threatening to fracture Europe's €100 billion fighter jet project — with tensions now spilling into a Franco-German tank project as well.

Airbus, representing the German and Spanish side of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), told DW it is open to restructuring the program. That could include a "two-fighter solution" allowing France and Germany to develop separate combat aircraft while still cooperating on drones, sensors and the digital systems linking the battlefield in real time.

France wants the future aircraft to operate from aircraft carriers and carry nuclear weapons. Germany, as a non-nuclear power, does not share those requirements and has already decided to buy US-made F-35 fighter jets for NATO nuclear-sharing missions.

Airbus Chief Executive Guillaume Faury said the deadlock of a single pillar should not jeopardize the entire program. Defense experts argue that the combat cloud — the digital system linking aircraft, drones, sensors and weapons — is increasingly seen as the area where European cooperation still has a strong case.

The trouble around FCAS is now spilling into another flagship Franco-German project: the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS), meant to replace Germany's Leopard 2 and France's Leclerc tanks. The division was clear: France would lead the fighter jet, Germany would lead the tank.

Analysts warn that the outcome of FCAS could shape the future of European defense cooperation. If the program derails, governments may become far more cautious about launching multinational weapons projects on this scale again.

Source: www.dw.com