The German Aerospace Association (BDLI) and the IG Metall trade union have issued a joint statement calling for the abandonment of a jointly developed manned aircraft within the French‑German‑Spanish Future Combat Air System (FCAS) project.
In a guest essay for the Handelsblatt, BDLI chief executive Marie‑Christine von Hahn and IG Metall deputy chairman Jürgen Kerner wrote that “we need a commitment to two aircraft within FCAS – out of responsibility for European safety, for employees, and for the idea of a self‑determined, capable Europe”.
FCAS is intended to bring together manned fighters, wingmen drones and cutting‑edge communication systems under a multinational umbrella. However, von Hahn and Kerner accuse French aircraft maker Dassault of a rigid posture that, in their view, threatens the project’s collaborative spirit and amounts to an “industrial surrender”. They argue that cooperation must be based on equal footing rather than subordination.
The pair propose that German industry continue to collaborate on already progressing fields such as propulsion, unmanned systems, networking and sensor technology, but break off from the joint development of the manned fighter. They cite Germany’s long‑standing, comprehensive aircraft‑building expertise and a solidly funded federal budget that allows the country to invest confidently and pursue decisive industrial policy.
Accordingly, they suggest launching an independent German programme and then recruiting partners who wish to join later. The message concludes that taking responsibility for European security also means leading from a position of industrial strength.
