Belgium's De Wever Blasts France-Germany Over 2040 Fighter Jet Failure

2 articles · Updated · POLITICO Europe · Jun 9

Bart De Wever called France and Germany's failure to agree on a European sixth-generation fighter program a "waste of time" and "pure stupidity" at a Brussels event on Tuesday.
The Belgian prime minister said the deadlock leaves Europe choosing "to be irrelevant" in a crucial part of air defense, not only now but also a decade from now.
The stalled Future Combat Air System — involving France, Germany and Spain — was designed to replace France's Rafale and Germany's Eurofighter fleets around 2040.
Belgium is only an observer in FCAS, but De Wever's remarks underscore wider frustration that Europe's flagship next-generation combat aircraft project remains stuck.