Production of French-German fighter jet threatened by rivalries, chief executive says

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 3 min read 100% complete by Jasper JollyDecember 2, 2025 at 07:31 PM

AI Summary

medium article 3 min

Rivalries between Dassault and Airbus are threatening the joint French-German effort to develop a next-generation fighter jet, known as the Future Combat Air System (Scaf). Safran, the engine manufacturer co-producing turbines for the aircraft, acknowledges the strained relationship between the lead partners. Despite the conflict, the leaders of France and Germany are reportedly committed to finding a solution and moving forward with the project. Scaf aims to produce a sixth-generation fighter jet with advanced capabilities, competing with similar projects like the British-Italian-Japanese Tempest and the US's F-47. Concerns remain within the industry about the duplication of efforts across these separate European projects.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

MTU Engines 50% Dassault 60% Friedrich Merz 60% Emmanuel Macron 70% Airbus ×270% Future Combat Air System ×280% Safran ×280% Olivier Andriès ×280%

Keywords

fighter jet 100% french-german cooperation 90% rivalries 80% future combat air system 70% aerospace industry 60% safran 50% defense industry 50% airbus 40% dassault 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.20

Source Transparency

Source

The Guardian - World News

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.40)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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fighter jet french-german cooperation rivalries future combat air system aerospace industry safran defense industry airbus dassault

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