Europe Ends €100 Billion Fighter Jet Project After Industrial Deadlock

June 9, 2026

Mintesinot Nigussie

A long-planned European effort to develop a next-generation combat aircraft has been discontinued after Germany and France accepted that entrenched disagreements between their main industrial partners had made further progress impossible.

The outcome was reached following discussions between German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the EU–Western Balkans summit in Montenegro. Both leaders assessed that months of unresolved tension between the companies involved had left the project without a viable path forward.

At the centre of the initiative were Airbus, representing Germany and Spain, and France’s Dassault Aviation, working within a broader framework that also included Spain. The programme, valued at about €100 billion (116 billion US dollars), was intended to deliver a jointly developed future fighter jet but became increasingly constrained by disputes between the participating firms.

Launched in 2017 by Macron and then German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the project was designed as a flagship symbol of Franco-German defence cooperation and a step towards deeper integration of European military capability.

Over time, industrial disagreements between the partners persisted without resolution, preventing alignment on key aspects of development and ultimately freezing momentum on the programme.

French officials said Macron and Merz had reviewed the situation and expressed regret that Airbus and Dassault Aviation had not been able to reach agreement despite prolonged negotiations. Paris reiterated that defence cooperation between France, Germany and wider European partners remains strategically important.