German Chancellor Teases Defense Ties With France After FCAS Split

BERLIN—German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says France and Germany are set to agree on new defense cooperation efforts next month despite their split on a future combat aircraft, while drawing lessons from the failed partnership.

“At the Franco-German Ministerial Council meeting in Germany in July, our defense ministers will present a comprehensive and modern road map for defense-industrial cooperation,” Merz said June 10 on the opening day of the ILA Berlin Air Show here.

“We want a small number of genuinely relevant and executable projects that can make a real difference to our collective security,” he added.

The move comes after Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to end the collaborative New Generation Fighter program. The two governments for months tried to bridge industrial differences between Dassault Aviation and Airbus, but eventually decided it was better to part ways. One of the disagreements was over who would have the say over key program decisions.

Merz said future cooperate would come with “stronger governance arrangements for these projects.”

Germany will likely pursue a partnership for a new effort at developing a future fighter, Luftwaffe Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Holger Naumann said at the ILA event. The timeline for the new program will be driven in part by political decisions around the path forward, he noted.

The new fighter would have to work with uncrewed platforms and be able connect with other systems, he noted. Naumann said he has told his ministry to only buy fifth-generation or more advanced platforms beyond 2035.

The conclusion of the fighter cooperation marks the end of “a long-standing blockage,” Merz said, adding it “opens new opportunities for industry to continue advancing modern combat aircraft development through other avenues.”