France and Germany to develop new European fighter jet

[airtel]

France and Germany to develop new European fighter jet
Tim Hepher and Leigh Thomas

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel attend a news conference following a Franco-German joint cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, July 13, 2017.Stephane Mahe
PARIS (Reuters) - France and Germany unveiled plans on Thursday to develop a European fighter jet, burying past rivalries as part of a raft of measures to tighten defense and security cooperation.

The move to develop a new warplane accelerates steps that are expected to shape the future of the European fighter industry and its three existing programs - the Eurofighter, France's Rafale and Sweden's Gripen.

The move also reflects efforts to give fresh impetus to Franco-German relations in the aftermath of Britain's decision to leave the European Union and was described by defense experts as a snub to Europe's leading military power..

France and Germany aim to come up with a roadmap by mid 2018 for jointly leading development of the new aircraft to replace their existing fleets of rival warplanes, according to a document issued after a Franco-German cabinet meeting in Paris.

"Today there are too many European standards and qualifications and sometimes there is competition among Europeans internationally," French President Emmanuel Macron told a news conference, flanked by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

"I can confirm this is a deep revolution but we are not afraid when they are carried out peacefully, in a structured way and over time," Macron said.

France and Germany said their new combat system, which analysts say could involve a mixture of manned and unmanned aircraft, would replace the Rafale and Eurofighter, rival jets that compete fiercely for global sales.

That would mark the end of a decades-long split since France withdrew from the Eurofighter project in the 1980s to produce its Rafale warplane with Dassault Aviation.

Defense industry experts called the move a setback to Britain and its leading arms contractor, BAE Systems.

"It is a sign to the British. It means 'you are leaving the EU and we are driving forward. We are no longer interested in you blocking the EU on defense'," a senior German defense industry official told Reuters.


Britain Out on a Limb?


The joint declaration did not say what role, if any, Britain would play in the Franco-German-led development. The country is Europe's biggest defense spender and a partner in the Eurofighter project alongside Germany, Spain and Italy.

France and the United Kingdom - both permanent U.N. Security Council members with close defense and security ties - agreed to cooperate on nuclear and missiles technology in 2010, but some French officials have expressed concerns about the impact of Brexit on defense.

Some analysts and defense officials said the Franco-German push to create a new fighter could drive Britain further toward industrial and defense cooperation with the United States.

Currently, Britain has a foot in both camps through the Lockheed Martin F-35 and a share of the Eurofighter program through BAE.

"It is almost inevitable that the UK would consider a new partnership with America for the next generation of fighters," said Alexandra Ashbourne-Walmsley, associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, a think-tank based in London.

"The UK has accepted that it can't build another fighter on its own, both as a natural evolution from the F-35 program and also because of economies of scale since having a small part of a U.S. project is worth more than a Franco-German program."

However, Thursday's declaration is also seen by some as just the opening move in a long and unpredictable European negotiation affecting defense firms including BAE and its Eurofighter partners Airbus and Leonardo.

Paris and Berlin also agreed to set up a cooperation framework for the next model of the Airbus Tiger attack helicopter and for tactical air-to-ground missiles.

In addition, they will work together on procuring ground systems including heavy tanks and artillery and said a contract was expected to be signed before 2019 for the military "Eurodrone" project, which also includes Italy.

Additional reporting by Jean-Baptiste Vey and Michel Rose; editing by Andrew Callus and David Clarke

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-usa-idUSKBN19Y07D

 

[Tactical Frog]

That annoucement was really shocking news for Dassault. Because it means Airbus is back in the game for future fighter projects. The last thing Dassault wants ! Now this joint french german project may very well never materialize. For once, I agree very much with all the points made by Richard Aboulafia in his July 2017 letter http://www.richardaboulafia.com/shownote.asp?id=527

I also think there WILL be consequences in India too. Being unsure of its dominance as the lead designer for a future european fighter project, Dassault will invest more energy in securing a position in India . Expect lot of seduction efforts coming soon .

 

[IndianHawk]

for a future european fighter project, Dassault will invest more energy in securing a position in India .

Dassalts future in India depends on engine program for Kaveri. If that is successful dassalt can establish itself into India for next many decades.

 

[sthf]

If Brishits get locked out of this venture then it could be a good news for India. BAE is desperately looking for ways to retain the design capabilities and knowledge it gained from the JSF program, hence the partnership with Turks.

If recent visits and interviews of Teresa May and Michael Fallon are any indication, Brishit establishment has realized that whatever influence they thought they had in India is long gone. Sharing military tech is a sure fire way to get some of it back.

 

[Tactical Frog]

Airbus, Dassault vie for leadership of Franco-German fighter
(Reuters) - With the ink barely dry on a deal between France and Germany to develop a new combat jet, Airbus and Dassault are squaring up for leadership of a project that could reshape Europe's fragmented fighter industry.

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel unveiled the plans at a summit in July, burying past defense industry rivalries as part of efforts to tighten co-operation as Britain withdraws from the European Union.

The new combat system could involve a mixture of manned and unmanned aircraft and would eventually replace the Rafale and Eurofighter, rival jets that compete fiercely for global sales, as well as the older Panavia Tornado.

That sets the tone for co-operation between Airbus, which represents Germany and Spain in the Eurofighter consortium, and Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of France's Rafale.

But there has been little formal discussion yet over the shape of the project, let alone who would take the lead in development, according to industry and defense officials.

Airbus, whose mostly Germany-based defense arm makes up about a quarter of its sales, laid claim to the leading role in an op-ed article published on Friday.

"On the assumption that the necessary political will is in place, Airbus is offering to drive cooperation with its European partners and to shape this aspect of our common European future," Dirk Hoke, chief executive of Airbus Defense & Space, wrote in Germany-based defense newsletter Griephan Briefe.

He described his company as "the lead...for a project of this nature."

Dassault has itself offered to be the "architect" of the Franco-German project and Chief Executive Eric Trappier told Reuters recently that it would be the natural leader due to its experience in building an all-French fighter plane.

Airbus's call also appeared aimed at speeding up the project as Germany looks to U.S. rivals to meet interim fighter gaps.

Germany earlier this year asked Washington for a briefing on the Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) F-35 fighter as it gears up to replace its current fleet of fighter jets from 2025. It has also asked for data on Boeing's F/A-18E/F.

Hoke said buying American could weaken the European defense industry and make it ever-more reliant on U.S. "black box" technology that is not shared with foreign operators, while injecting uncertainty into Franco-German plans for a new jet.

"An interim solution for the replacement of old fleets already appears probable. If important decisions are delayed, a stopgap of this type could take on a dimension that would cast doubt on the economic efficiency of the entire project," he said.

France and Germany said in July they aim to come up with a roadmap by mid-2018 for jointly leading development of the new aircraft to replace their existing fleets of rival warplanes.

Dassault Aviation appears to have been caught by surprise by July's announcement, which cut across its existing partnership with BAE Systems to build a demonstrator for an unmanned combat vehicle, called Future Combat Air System (FCAS).

Defense analysts say the French company is in a strong position to be in the driving seat from a technological point of view, having made it plain it regards BAE as its technological peer.

But at least for now, such considerations are likely to take a backseat to how the project will be funded amid tight defense budgets, an industry source said.

"It is quite normal for industrialists to claim leadership, but it is too early to talk about that," he added.

http://mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKBN1D31W0
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[Armand2REP]

The reason France withdrew from Eurofighter was because they wouldn't give Dassault the lead designer spot. If Germany, who has no experience designing modern fighters, doesn't concede this project is DOA.

 

[Kay]

We should wait and watch before further Rafale orders. No need to be saddled with a foreign fourth generation aircraft which is going to be a secondary priority in their own country.
Just refurbish old Jets and develop AMCA.