Any attempts to save the joint Franco-German FCAS sixth-generation fighter project are obviously doomed to fail. The Airbus works council, where the IG Metall industrial workers' union holds a leading position, has issued a resolute call to end any cooperation with the French and begin creating their own fighter.
The mediation initiated by Chancellor Merz must be the last step. The time has finally come for the federal government to take a clear position, end the Franco-German fighter project and start its own, called Airbus works council head Thomas Pretzl, quoted by Hartpunkt.
Read more: Why Is russia Moving Tu-160s, Tu-95 Bombers to the Ramenskoye Airfield Near Moscow: a New Strategic Base or the MAKS Air Show?
He emphasized that creating a sovereign fighter would mean preserving added value in the country, means mastering new technologies, as well as creating new jobs. He also went after Dassault, accusing its leadership of slander.
Defense Express recalls that all these statements are connected to the planned last attempt to save the joint FCAS fighter project with a deadline by the end of April. German industrial unions have already pressured the German government on this issue before, but now they’ve put forward a clear demand.Their position in Germany matters this is a large number of voters, we're talking about millions of votes. The largest German industrial workers' union IG Metall alone represents over 2.2 million workers.
Besides that, this is also about the ability to organize strikes. The demands framed in slogans about FCAS, particularly about preserving defense sovereignty or directing taxpayer money into their own economy, will be easily used by any opposition party.
Especially since the formal demand is not complete cessation of cooperation with France, but only creation of two separate aircraft while maintaining the joint overall system built around the fighter, weapons, loyal wingmen, etc. Currently, splitting FCAS into two separate fighters is actively supported by Airbus itself.
At the same time, the overall situation, especially calls regarding national priorities, looks somewhat different if we recall that Airbus's general headquarters is located in that same France. Only the Airbus Defence and Space division headquarters is in Germany.
Therefore, battle fronts run not only along the border between France and Germany, but along the business interests of Airbus and Dassault, which cannot divide a project whose cost is lost somewhere beyond the half-hundred billion euro mark.
Read more: russia Advances Construction of Its Largest Ivan Rogov Warship in Crimea - Could Ukraine Target It?
