India's ambition to co-develop sixth-generation fighter jets has faced a significant hurdle with the reported cancellation of the European Future Combat Air System (FCAS) project, one of two international programmes India had expressed interest in joining. Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh had previously indicated India's outreach to both FCAS, led by France, Germany, and Spain, and the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) involving the UK, Japan, and Italy, to secure future air power capabilities. However, recent reports suggest that disagreements between key industrial partners, Airbus and Dassault Aviation, have led Germany and France to abandon the core FCAS fighter jet development, though certain elements like the "combat cloud" network may continue.

India's ambition to co-develop sixth-generation fighter jets has faced a significant hurdle with the reported cancellation of the European Future Combat Air System (FCAS) project, one of two international programmes India had expressed interest in joining. Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh had previously indicated India's outreach to both FCAS, led by France, Germany, and Spain, and the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) involving the UK, Japan, and Italy, to secure future air power capabilities. However, recent reports suggest that disagreements between key industrial partners, Airbus and Dassault Aviation, have led Germany and France to abandon the core FCAS fighter jet development, though certain elements like the "combat cloud" network may continue.

India's ambition to co-develop sixth-generation fighter jets has faced a significant hurdle with the reported cancellation of the European Future Combat Air System (FCAS) project, one of two international programmes India had expressed interest in joining. Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh had previously indicated India's outreach to both FCAS, led by France, Germany, and Spain, and the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) involving the UK, Japan, and Italy, to secure future air power capabilities. However, recent reports suggest that disagreements between key industrial partners, Airbus and Dassault Aviation, have led Germany and France to abandon the core FCAS fighter jet development, though certain elements like the "combat cloud" network may continue.

India's efforts to partner with an international sixth-generation fighter jet programme appear to have suffered a setback, as one of the two major projects New Delhi was exploring has reportedly been cancelled.

A few weeks ago, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh had said India was looking at the possibility of joining one of the two ongoing sixth-generation fighter aircraft programmes. "We have made overtures to both of these two ongoing free country partnerships that are there. Let us see what the response is. We've made it clear to both of them that we are interested and we could consider partnering with them for a sixth-generation fighter programme," Singh had said.

He was referring to the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), the European sixth-generation fighter programme led by France, Germany and Spain, and the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), the joint initiative involving the United Kingdom, Japan and Italy.

India's interest in joining either of the programme was also highlighted in a report recently tabled in Parliament. According to the report, the Indian Air Force had informed the cabinet committee that it intended to explore joining one of the two international consortia developing sixth-generation combat aircraft to ensure that India does not fall behind in the race for next-generation air power capabilities.

However, one of those options may no longer be available.

According to a Reuters report, Germany and France have agreed to scrap the landmark FCAS fighter jet project.

Reuters reported that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the future of the programme on the sidelines of the EU-Western Balkans summit in Montenegro last week. According to officials cited by the news agency, the two leaders concluded that there was no realistic prospect of resolving months of disagreements between the defence companies involved in the project.

Reuters further reported that the collapse of the programme stemmed from differences between the main industrial partners — European aerospace giant Airbus, representing Germany and Spain, and France's Dassault Aviation.

According to a European source cited by Reuters, the countries are now moving towards a face-saving arrangement under which some elements of the broader FCAS programme would continue. These would include systems outside the core fighter aircraft, such as the "combat cloud" network of highly secure communication links, which would still be developed under the FCAS banner.

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