France and Germany have agreed to abandon their joint fighter jet programme, the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), due to disagreements between the companies involved. The programme was launched in 2017 to replace France's Rafale jets and the Eurofighter planes used by Germany and Spain.
The multi-billion-dollar project was seen as a key test of European efforts to work more closely on defence, but was beset by disagreements between France's Dassault Aviation and Airbus, which represents Germany and Spain.
Despite calls for Europe to integrate its fragmented militaries more closely, the project's demise comes despite efforts to salvage it, including last-ditch proposals from mediators and public declarations of support from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron.
The German government official said that other parts of the wide-ranging project will continue, with the core of FCAS being continued as a European system that networks aircraft, drones and other components into an integrated whole.
