Monday, March 18, 2024

Germany and France plans to jointly develop a next-generation fighter jet

German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen and her French counterpart Florence Parly have appeared at an air show in Berlin to present a plans to jointly develop a next-generation fighter jet.

According to the Reuters, the German and French defence ministers signed a document outlining the high-level common requirements for a new fighter jet, a letter of intent to explore joint development of a maritime warfare aircraft for use from 2035 and a concept of operations for a joint training and operation of a fleet of C-130J transport planes.

“This is a historic agreement,” Parly told a throng of journalists, military officials and industry executives. “It shows that Europe is more than a sum of medium-sized powers, and can take its fate into its own hands and ensure its autonomy.”

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Germany jointly with French are to take over the development of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), a complex project incorporating an “optionally manned” command platform, unmanned components and a new fighter plane that is being tentatively scheduled for takeoff around 2040.

More: Lockheed Martin promotes its F-35 fighter jet for Germany Air Force

According to the German Defence Ministry factsheet, this plane does not yet have a name, and is only referred to as a Next Generation Weapons System (NGWS). Nor are many other details known about the aircraft, other than that it will carry both air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles.

More: V-280 Valor next-generation tiltrotor makes maiden flight

The move to develop a new warplane is seen as a preliminary step towards overcoming differences that have left Europe struggling to maintain three competing fighter programs – France’s Rafale, Sweden’s Gripen and the Eurofighter, involving Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain.

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Executive Editor

About author:

Colton Jones
Colton Jones
Colton Jones is the deputy editor of Defence Blog. He is a US-based journalist, writer and publisher who specializes in the defense industry in North America and Europe. He has written about emerging technology in military magazines and elsewhere. He is a former Air Force airmen and served at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

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