Belgium can't buy American F-35s and still join Europe's FCAS fighter jet programme, says French aviation chief
Speaking at the company's quarterly financial results event, the chief of the FCAS programme's major contractor said a commitment to buying locally-produced defence gear was a major criteria for joining the fighter jet programme.
"If [Belgium] gives up the idea of buying F-35s, they'd be welcome, if they are not, then that's really making a monkey out of us," the French aviation executive said.
On Friday, the Belgian government gave the green light to a plan to participate in the French-German-Spanish FCAS programme, while setting out plans for an airforce flying both the F-35, a 5th generation fighter jet from the US, and the FCAS jet which should only be ready by 2040.
Trappier sees Belgium's plan to request full FCAS membership as incoherent, stating that the Belgians would want to benefit from the jobs created from the programme work "but will buy from the US".
Addressing recent speculation about the state of negotiations between Paris and Berlin over the project, Trappier also denied that France was demanding the majority of the work share for the 6th generation FCAS fighter jet programme. 'We're not requesting 80% of the work,' Trappier said.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who recently acknowledged discord with Paris over FCAS, is set to meet his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday in Berlin, while their defence ministers meet a day later.
(jp)
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