Development of a future European fighter jet first mooted by former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron in 2017 is paralyzed by a dispute between leading industry suppliers.
The head of Dassault Aviation SA on Wednesday warned talks with the German arm of Airbus SE have been bogged down by a power struggle over “division of labor” that could threaten the project.
“We still have difficulties with Airbus,” Dassault Chief Executive Officer Eric Trappier said at a press conference in Paris. “It’s not always easy to negotiate with the Germans.”
The French maker of the Rafale combat plane and Airbus are in negotiations on the next development phase of the jet, known as the New Generation Fighter, that wouldn’t enter service until about 2040. Airbus must accept “the expertise will be in France rather than elsewhere,” Trappier said.
“What’s clear is that Dassault will be the leader,” he said.
The possibility that Germany could order U.S. fighter jets to carry nuclear weapons as part of a longstanding NATO agreement is also weighing on the project, Trappier said.
The impasse comes nearly five years after the French and German leaders agreed on an air-combat alliance that included the new jet, leaving the U.K. in the cold in the wake of the country’s decision to leave the European Union.
London-based BAE Systems Plc, Europe’s biggest defense firm, has gone on to develop a rival warplane, the Tempest, and recruited Italy’s Leonardo SpA and Sweden’s Saab AB to its camp.
Design Capabilities
BAE, Leonardo and Airbus collaborate on the current Eurofighter model, a rival to the Rafale. In forming a new alliance, Airbus had been seeking a more equal role in a successor aircraft, though Dassault has advanced design capabilities through its work on generations of warplanes including the Mirage, which it manufactured from the 1950s through the 1990s.
A run of success for Dassault’s Rafale — including a bumper order of 80 from the United Arab Emirates — may have strengthened the French company’s hand in the battle for supremacy over the project.
Should the collaboration founder, Dassault retains a plan B, Trappier said, without giving details. While he ruled out a collaboration with the U.K., saying talks with that country’s suppliers on the future European fighter have ended, he said Airbus doesn’t share his vision of how industry should be organized to develop the plane.
A spokesman for Airbus wasn’t available for immediate comment.
Dassault’s confidence has been buoyed by the UAE mega-order. The victory over rival European and U.S. suppliers capped a winning streak after agreements with Greece, Croatia and an add-on order with Egypt earlier in 2021.
The shares rose 4.3% as of 5:25 p.m. in Paris, and have gained 22% over the past 12 months.
Looking ahead, Trappier said he’s optimistic 2022 could yield additional contracts, citing ongoing talks with India and Indonesia for Rafale planes.
Dassault struggled to sell the jets outside France for more than a decade after it first entered service in the French military in 2004.
2040? Why are they is such a hurry?
This sounds like just like last time when the French exited from Eurofighter. They wanted more control over the project disproportionate than what they were putting in iirc.
Hell, even the excuses being given by Dassault (in this article) blaming Airbus sound pretty similar too.
Not the first time a multinational arms project involving France is stalled because they want a bigger share of the work and profits. For all the talk of a united Europe, when it comes to business it’s still *us vs them* and not *we*.
And Germany can officially dump on other nations for buying the F-35 because “not buying European” is bad even though the European F-35s are built and maintained in Italy. And then, they buy US transport planes because the European equivalent project is stalled. And now that the fighter jet project is also stalled, they may just as well order a bunch of F-35s.
What a joke. By the time this project is finished, sixth generation fighter jets will be cruising around.
The Germans are very difficult partners.
It’s a shame that work between the French and Brits couldn’t have been kept going, but Paris wanted their EU flag waving project. So now they’ve got it.
Repost
Looks like France is in a quagmire. Germany can just go and join 3-4 other allied next gen fighter programs but France needs FCAS to succeed.
Hot off the press: US based newspaper using a rather common disagreement in the early stage of a long term project to try to create a divide between EU countries.
No surprise at all it mentions the UK based project, lauding it’s successes at getting other firms to join.
Even less of a surprise to have members of this sub playing right into the divide, including bad faith actors mascarding as citizens of countries they are not actually a part of.
8 comments
Development of a future European fighter jet first mooted by former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron in 2017 is paralyzed by a dispute between leading industry suppliers.
The head of Dassault Aviation SA on Wednesday warned talks with the German arm of Airbus SE have been bogged down by a power struggle over “division of labor” that could threaten the project.
“We still have difficulties with Airbus,” Dassault Chief Executive Officer Eric Trappier said at a press conference in Paris. “It’s not always easy to negotiate with the Germans.”
The French maker of the Rafale combat plane and Airbus are in negotiations on the next development phase of the jet, known as the New Generation Fighter, that wouldn’t enter service until about 2040. Airbus must accept “the expertise will be in France rather than elsewhere,” Trappier said.
“What’s clear is that Dassault will be the leader,” he said.
The possibility that Germany could order U.S. fighter jets to carry nuclear weapons as part of a longstanding NATO agreement is also weighing on the project, Trappier said.
The impasse comes nearly five years after the French and German leaders agreed on an air-combat alliance that included the new jet, leaving the U.K. in the cold in the wake of the country’s decision to leave the European Union.
London-based BAE Systems Plc, Europe’s biggest defense firm, has gone on to develop a rival warplane, the Tempest, and recruited Italy’s Leonardo SpA and Sweden’s Saab AB to its camp.
Design Capabilities
BAE, Leonardo and Airbus collaborate on the current Eurofighter model, a rival to the Rafale. In forming a new alliance, Airbus had been seeking a more equal role in a successor aircraft, though Dassault has advanced design capabilities through its work on generations of warplanes including the Mirage, which it manufactured from the 1950s through the 1990s.
A run of success for Dassault’s Rafale — including a bumper order of 80 from the United Arab Emirates — may have strengthened the French company’s hand in the battle for supremacy over the project.
Should the collaboration founder, Dassault retains a plan B, Trappier said, without giving details. While he ruled out a collaboration with the U.K., saying talks with that country’s suppliers on the future European fighter have ended, he said Airbus doesn’t share his vision of how industry should be organized to develop the plane.
A spokesman for Airbus wasn’t available for immediate comment.
Dassault’s confidence has been buoyed by the UAE mega-order. The victory over rival European and U.S. suppliers capped a winning streak after agreements with Greece, Croatia and an add-on order with Egypt earlier in 2021.
The shares rose 4.3% as of 5:25 p.m. in Paris, and have gained 22% over the past 12 months.
Looking ahead, Trappier said he’s optimistic 2022 could yield additional contracts, citing ongoing talks with India and Indonesia for Rafale planes.
Dassault struggled to sell the jets outside France for more than a decade after it first entered service in the French military in 2004.
2040? Why are they is such a hurry?
This sounds like just like last time when the French exited from Eurofighter. They wanted more control over the project disproportionate than what they were putting in iirc.
Hell, even the excuses being given by Dassault (in this article) blaming Airbus sound pretty similar too.
Not the first time a multinational arms project involving France is stalled because they want a bigger share of the work and profits. For all the talk of a united Europe, when it comes to business it’s still *us vs them* and not *we*.
And Germany can officially dump on other nations for buying the F-35 because “not buying European” is bad even though the European F-35s are built and maintained in Italy. And then, they buy US transport planes because the European equivalent project is stalled. And now that the fighter jet project is also stalled, they may just as well order a bunch of F-35s.
What a joke. By the time this project is finished, sixth generation fighter jets will be cruising around.
The Germans are very difficult partners.
It’s a shame that work between the French and Brits couldn’t have been kept going, but Paris wanted their EU flag waving project. So now they’ve got it.
Repost
Looks like France is in a quagmire. Germany can just go and join 3-4 other allied next gen fighter programs but France needs FCAS to succeed.
Hot off the press: US based newspaper using a rather common disagreement in the early stage of a long term project to try to create a divide between EU countries.
No surprise at all it mentions the UK based project, lauding it’s successes at getting other firms to join.
Even less of a surprise to have members of this sub playing right into the divide, including bad faith actors mascarding as citizens of countries they are not actually a part of.
Trash article, trash goal, trash reddit thread.