German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French president Emmanuel Macron agreed on Wednesday to try to resolve disputes related to the project of the Fight of the Future (SCAF) at the end of August, said a German government spokesman.
The two leaders discussed the project, whose cost is estimated at more than 100 billion euros, during a dinner organized during Emmanuel Macron’s trip to Berlin. The project has experienced delays and is a victim of intestine disputes in the exchange of tasks and intellectual property rights between France and Germany, as well as among their respective national industries.
France wants 80% participation in the project
French aviation of Dassault, Airbus, which represents Germany, and the Spanish Indra is involved in the project aimed at replacing the French rafale and the German and Spanish Eurofighters of 2040 with a fifth generation combat plane.
Countries disagree on the composition of the consortium, and France told Germany this month that he wanted to obtain a participation of around 80% in the project, a source to Reuters in the defense industry told.
The CEO of Dassault, Éric Trappier, said on Tuesday, July 22, the inefficiency of the European SCAF program on Tuesday, July 22, July 22, The Air Combat System of the futureDeveloped by France, Germany and Spain, believing that it could not be carried out in its current form.
“Respecting the agreements concluded”
Germany expects Dassault to respect the existing agreements, said the German spokesman. Friedrich Merz and Emmanuel Macron also discussed European spatial policy, Ukraine, the Middle East and trade negotiations with the United States, said the spokesman.
Friedrich Merz insists on the need to “respect the agreement concluded” on the exchange of tasks. The objective of SCAF is to replace the explosion in France and Eurofighter in Germany and Spain by 2040.
In an attempt to avoid the pure and simple failure of the program, the two French and German defense ministers were responsible for “evaluating at the end of August the realistic perspectives for the continuation of cooperation within the consortium and presenting proposals for the resolution of existing conflicts,” said the Foreign Ministry.
With the idea of drawing conclusions during the Franco-German Council of Ministers that will take place from August 28 to 29 in France, in Toulon, whose port houses one of the two main French naval bases.
Source: BFM TV
