Merz rejects Franco-German fighter: 'The Fcas does not meet our needs'
The German Chancellor on the Machtwechsel podcast: 'The French need a nuclear-capable jet that can land on an aircraft carrier' at the moment, the German armed forces 'do not'. But then the government spokesman blunts: 'We do not want to dissolve the partnership'. Berlin's no to its own nuclear weapons reiterated
Key points
On the French-German-Spanish Fcas fighter jet, already on the brink of bankruptcy, now rains the explicit doubts of Chancellor Friedrich Merz: 'The French need a jet with nuclear capability, which can land on an aircraft carrier', at the moment, the German armed forces 'do not'.
Doubts
Words that sound like the end of a 100 billion project, for the development of an integrated drone-jet-satellite combat and reconnaissance platform hinged on a stealth fighter, but which fell victim to the rigidity of the French industrial partner, Dassault.
Merz's statements this time are not a reconstruction of discussions behind closed doors, but a public stance, delivered to the podcast Machtwechsel, online on 18 February. The perplexities touch on the very concept behind the programme: 'In 20 years', the chancellor asks himself, 'will we still need a fighter jet with a human pilot? A heavy doubt, for a project that looks to the future (it is called Future combat air system). 'Do we have the strength and will to build two aircraft for these two different needs? France only wants one thing. If this problem cannot be solved, we will not be able to continue,' Merz quipped.
The response from Paris, which 'remains committed to the success' of the FCAS, was immediate. "The military needs of the three participating states have not changed, and included French nuclear deterrence from the outset," reads an Elysée note. 'Given what is at stake for Europe,' it reads, 'it would be incomprehensible if industrial differences could not be overcome, especially as we must collectively demonstrate unity and results in all areas of industry, technology and defence.
Paris strategic partner
Berlin is aware of Paris' sensitivity on the issue and does not want the Fcas case to turn into a clash with what it considers its main strategic partner. Even after the recent rapprochement with Rome, with which non-trivial differences remain over the line towards Donald Trump's Maga America. Beyond the ups and downs of the Franco-German engine, Paris is the only possible interlocutor in the European Union for another project that is very close to Merz's heart, that of the pan-European nuclear umbrella, with the extension of French deterrence, the continent's only atomic power.
