By Cristina Gallardo and Nina Kienle

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called into question Germany's need for a manned fighter jet, fueling doubts about Berlin's future role in a European aircraft project that also involves France and Spain.

The Future Combat Air System project--bringing together Dassault Aviation, Airbus and Indra Sistemas--aims to build a sixth-generation manned fighter jet, with artificial intelligence, advanced stealth making it much more difficult to detect, and a swarm of drones by 2040. It has an estimated total cost of 100 billion euros ($118.56 billion).

Over the last year, acrimony has increased within the FCAS venture after France's Dassault Aviation insisted on leading the development and construction of the aircraft, as well as being able to select its subcontractors. Airbus--which has the bulk of its defense business in Germany--has pushed back.

On Wednesday, Merz said in an interview on the German political podcast Machtwechsel that Germany and France don't share the same requirements for a fighter jet, which is leading to disagreements on specifications.

"If we can't solve that, then we can't keep the project going," Merz said.

"The French need a next-generation fighter jet that is capable of carrying nuclear weapons and can be deployed from aircraft carriers. We in the German Armed Forces do not currently need that."

Germany is pondering whether it will still need manned fighter jets in 20 years' time and if it would be worth the expense, Merz said.

"If we come to the conclusion that yes, we do need it, then we will see who will build it with us. There are others in Europe, the Spanish in any case, but there are also other countries that are interested in talking to us about it," he added.

As currently planned, the FCAS would replace Rafale jets in France's fleet and Eurofighter Typhoons in Germany and Spain's fleets. It is also one of two European programs aimed at potentially surpassing the U.S. F-35 jet.

Last week, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that the future of the FCAS program would become clear in the next few days, and that the decision lies with the heads of government.

French President Emmanuel Macron told the Munich Security Conference over the weekend that he still believes in FCAS.

Write to Cristina Gallardo at cristina.gallardo@wsj.com and Nina Kienle at nina.kienle@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 18, 2026 07:19 ET (12:19 GMT)

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