The MP of the “Republic on the Move” party of the French president is delighted with the possibilities of the FCAS air combat system. The “Future Combat Air System” does not only consist of the successors of the current generation of “Rafal” and “Eurofighter” type fighter planes.
The FCAS system also provides for drones, the integration of satellites into combat operations, and the secure transport of data. With the help of FCAS, so at least the words of Natalija Puziref can be understood, Europe will again be equal to competition in the military field as well.
But it will be some time before those weapons are ready for future conflicts. At the earliest in 2040, FCAS could be available to Germany, France and Spain – provided that the project does not fail in the meantime.
The project, which was launched four years ago by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emanuel Macron, is currently in the first, decisive phase. The governments of Germany, France and Spain gave the weapons factories involved in this project only a few more days, so that the concerns could reach an agreement on a “sustainable division of labor”. These are jobs, technological leadership and complicated rules concerning patents.
“We can say that we are facing a good solution regarding the production of aircraft. But we have to resolve some issues with Spain and there are open issues related to intellectual property,” German Defense Minister Anegret Kramp-Karenbauer summed up the negotiations in Paris.
Fair division of labor
The whole thing was further complicated by the entry of Spain as an equal partner in the German-French project. The French aircraft manufacturer Daso, which is supposed to take the leading role in the realization of the fighter plane, has been feeling deprived lately. Airbus (as a project partner of the manufacturer Daso) now “represents” Germany and Spain, meaning two countries – and Daso only one. And that is why in France one gets the impression that the other two partners are more dominant.
Will France’s industrial achievements be sacrificed under FCAS? Concerned parliamentarians asked that question to Eric Trapije, the head of Daso, during the Senate session in Paris in March. And that manager then thought aloud in front of the deputies about possible alternatives – including the development of his own aircraft, without an EU partner.
The French way
At about the same stage of the negotiations, the last project of Germany and France failed. It was about developing a joint fighter plane. It was in the mid-1980s. After the first agreements were signed in 1984, the alliance of several European countries disintegrated only a few months later.
They simply could not agree on the equipment, who will play a leading role in the system, and on the division of labor. France then developed Rafal on its own, and Germany (among others with Great Britain and Spain) developed a Eurofighter. It is now planned to “inherit” FCAS from both types of fighter planes.
However, Dolphin Descho-Dieter does not believe that history will repeat itself. A scientist from the University of Grenoble recalls the budget framework: “I think that financial aspects have great weight in this project. Obviously, more than European rhetoric and the fact that Europe must cooperate simply because history wants it to.”
MP Puziref is also convinced that the independent development of a project worth several billion euros would “overload the French state”. France is already “groaning” under the debt burden in the amount of 116 percent of GDP, and the financial room for maneuver is limited.
A common strategy
And how important FCAS is for France, Puziref personally explained to her colleagues in Berlin a few weeks ago: “During those talks, I got the impression that the Germans do not want to be dependent on technology that does not come from Europe.” She added that she has a feeling that the strategic interests of the two countries are approaching.
At the moment, however, it is unclear whether Germany will give the green light to build a prototype by the end of September, when the parliamentary elections are being held, which should be ready in five years.
In France, the president has a decisive role in this issue, and in strategic military projects, government plans are mostly supported even by the extreme left and right. In Germany, the federal government must regularly struggle to gain the support of MPs. The deadlines are very tight.
If the military concerns reach an agreement by the end of April and present how they intend to divide the business, when it comes to patents, then the governments of the three countries must first reach a consensus on that solution. But that is not all in Germany – the Bundestag must also decide on everything. In that case, the German parliament would have to approve the funding by that end.
Will the election stop the project?
And all this means that there is very little time for the usual parliamentary procedure. If there is no concrete decision by the summer break, it can be expected that the project will be politically “locked” for a long time. After the German federal elections in September this year, presidential and parliamentary elections will follow in the spring of next year in France.
The industry is also worried about the possible participation of the Greens in the new executive power in Germany. How could the government formed by the Green Party be positioned in relation to the fighter plane? An aircraft that is being developed with the goal of being a carrier of French nuclear weapons? The support of the current German government in the current, decisive phase of the project is clear – and all doubts were removed by the Minister of Defense, Anegret Kramp-Karenbauer, during her recent visit to Paris.
If the Bundestag approves further financing of the project before the summer parliamentary break, it would mean that the partners have the security of planning the next phase of FCAS. And how will things develop after that? It is still open.
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