France and Germany have moved ahead with plans for a next generation fighter jet, announcing a €65m contract award to Airbus and Dassault Aviation.
Under the terms of the agreement, unveiled by the French and German defence ministers at a meeting in Paris on Wednesday, the two companies will undertake a joint concept study for a “Future Combat Air System” (FCAS).
The initial contract will run for two years and kicks off the Franco-German programme in earnest. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel first announced plans for a next generation manned combat aircraft programme in July 2017, to include a fighter jet as well as a range of associated weapons, including drones. The aim is to replace France’s current jet, the Rafale, and the pan-European Eurofighter Typhoon, from 2040. France’s Safran and Germany’s MTU Aero Engines will jointly develop the new jet’s engine.
The programme is “one of the most ambitious European defence programmes for the century”, said Dirk Hoke, chief executive of Airbus Defence and Space.
Eric Trappier, chairman and chief executive of Dassault Aviation, said “this new step is the cornerstone to ensure tomorrow’s European strategic autonomy”.
The agreement will increase pressure on the UK to move ahead with its own programme for a next generation jet, dubbed Tempest.