German Union Calls for Domestic Fighter Jet Development Amid EU Project Standoff

Berlin. As French President Emmanuel Macron urged progress on the troubled Future Combat Air System (FCAS) project, Germany's largest labor union on Monday called on Berlin to develop its own indigenous fighter jet, adding further pressure to the stalled European joint venture.

Juergen Peters, Deputy Head of the IG Metall union, and Marie-Christine von der Leyen, head of the German Aerospace Industries Association, stated that Germany should build its own fighter jet, accusing French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation of attempting to unilaterally dictate terms in the FCAS project.

In an opinion piece published in the Handelsblatt newspaper, they noted that FCAS was initially planned and operated for a long time as a joint project between equal partners. However, they argue that it is unsurprising to see the consequences now that demands for full control are emerging.

They called for a commitment to develop two different fighter jets within the project, stating this would make the partnership more practical. The FCAS project, launched in 2017, aims to replace the French Rafale jet and the Eurofighter jets used by Germany and Spain. However, the project has been stalled for a long time due to disagreements over authority and leadership between Dassault and Airbus, where Airbus represents the interests of Germany and Spain.

President Macron stated in November that Paris and Berlin had a 'responsibility to deliver results' on the project, presenting it as a 'test of credibility' for Europe. However, a German government spokesperson reported in December that attempts to break the deadlock in the project had failed.

Peters and von der Leyen warned that if the project fails, the security, cooperation, innovation capacity of Germany and Europe, and well-paid jobs in the industry would be weakened. According to them, developing two different jets would signal the 'maturity' of FCAS.

They suggested that such an approach would respect diverse national priorities, reduce unnecessary tension, and focus cooperation on economically and technologically meaningful areas. They emphasized that cooperation should move forward based on real needs and possibilities, not political confrontation.