Overview
- IG Metall leaders Jürgen Kerner and Thomas Pretzl urged ministers Lars Klingbeil and Boris Pistorius to halt the jointly developed fighter and rethink the FCAS setup.
- The union’s plan proposes national fighter programs in Germany and France while drones and a shared Combat Cloud are developed together.
- German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius will meet French counterpart Catherine Vautrin to prepare a compromise, with a possible Merz–Macron discussion reported before Christmas.
- The clash intensified after Dassault CEO Éric Trappier demanded clear control of the project, a move that angered Airbus, which represents German interests in FCAS.
- Valued at roughly €100 billion, the program is slated to replace Eurofighter and Rafale around 2040, and the partner governments are pushing for a political solution by year’s end.