Report: Germany May Ditch Joint Fighter Jet Project With France to Join UK

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Germany may abandon the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) fighter jet project it is running with France and Spain in favor of another project with the United Kingdom, UK media reported on Wednesday, citing people in the know.

In 2015, the UK Defense Ministry struck a deal with the UK's largest defense firm, BAE Systems, to develop the Tempest fighter jet by 2035. Italy and Japan have also joined the project along the way.

At the moment, Germany is considering ditching its flagship combat jet project worth 100 billion euros ($105 billion), which it has been working on with France and Spain for several years, and instead joining the UK in its competing effort, media reported.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is reportedly concerned that the FCAS project risks becoming too costly, as Germany has already committed 40 billion euros to it.

In addition, the FCAS jets may not be commercially viable because they are scheduled to be released in 2040, while the US' sixth-generation fighter jets are expected by 2030. The project has allegedly been plagued by delays and disputes over funding and design.

An unnamed high-ranking official told UK media that Scholz was considering either merging the two projects or pulling out of the joint venture with France and joining the UK projects.

Scholz's dissatisfaction may also be triggered by the preferences that the French government has given to its defense companies as part of the FCAS project, the report said, adding it could be exacerbated even more by deteriorating relations between France and Germany on a number of different political fronts.

French President Emmanuel Macron has repeatedly called on Germany to strengthen their strategic partnership in defense. Germany, however, continues to pursue its own European Sky Shield Initiative, backed by 14 NATO allies, while France, together with Italy, is working on the innovative land-based air defense missile system developed by European anti-air missiles manufacturer Eurosam, which is set to be unveiled in 2025.

Berlin and Paris also disagree on the joint Main Ground Combat System tank project, while the joint Maritime Airborne Warfare System (MAWS), the development of which was agreed upon in 2017 by Macron and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, has not moved forward since then.