PARIS/BERLIN –
France and Germany are ratcheting up pressure on their industrial champions to rescue Europe’s next-generation fighter as the 100-billion-euro ($115 billion) project teeters on the brink of collapse, sources close to the matter said.
The Future Combat Air System (FCAS), floated more than eight years ago, has been mired in disputes between France’s Dassault Aviation and Airbus over workshare and prized technology.
Following talks last week between French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Berlin has drafted a “decision roadmap” as part of a mid-December deadline to strike a deal, sources said.