Updated
Updated · POLITICO Europe · Jun 11
Merz Unveils New Aviation Strategy After 3-Nation Fighter Jet Project Collapses
Updated
Updated · POLITICO Europe · Jun 11

Merz Unveils New Aviation Strategy After 3-Nation Fighter Jet Project Collapses

3 articles · Updated · POLITICO Europe · Jun 11

Summary

  • Germany on Wednesday rolled out a national aviation strategy at the ILA Berlin air show, tying civil aviation, military aerospace, innovation and national security into one policy framework.
  • Merz presented the plan after the fighter-jet element of the Future Combat Air System with France and Spain effectively collapsed over irreconcilable differences between Dassault Aviation and Airbus Defence and Space.
  • The move signals Berlin intends to keep pushing its aerospace ambitions even without the joint next-generation combat aircraft project.
  • Merz cast the strategy as part of a broader effort to reassert Germany's role in aviation, saying the country had long been a pioneer in the sector.

Insights

As the Franco-German jet fails, will the UK's rival GCAP program now dominate Europe's skies?
Freed from its French partnership, can Germany's new solo strategy now build Europe's strongest military?
With the €100 billion FCAS jet now dead, is Europe's dream of military autonomy over?