Cergy, France (Reuters) – Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Dassault Aviation, Eric Trappier, said on Tuesday that the French aeronautical manufacturer had the fact of factory the next generation of European combat aircraft without a partner, while putting Germany in challenge to do the same.
These statements highlight the tensions around the German fighting plane project (SCAF) of Germany, France and Spain.
The French group Dassault Aviation, Airbus, which represents Germany, and Spanish Indra, are involved in the SCAF project aimed at replacing the French Rafale and the German and Spanish Eurofighters from 2040 by a fifth generation combat aircraft.
During the inauguration of a new factory in Cergy (Val-d’Oise), questioned about a dispute with Airbus about the next generation of combat aircraft, the CEO of Dassault Aviation said: “It is quite extraordinary. Here we know how to do. I want the Germans to widen, here we know how to do it.
Eric Trappier added that Dassault Aviation had the capacity to build the new generation fighting aircraft alone, but that it would be a political decision.
The SCAF project, whose cost is estimated at more than 100 billion euros, has experienced delays and is the victim of intestine quarrels on the sharing of tasks and intellectual property rights between the partners.
Germany has criticized French industry for blocking the next phase of program development by demanding the exclusive management of the project.
The CEO said that Dassault Aviation argued for better control of the central component of the project, while granting Airbus a similar room for maneuver in the parties for which he is responsible.
Eric Trappier denied having violated the existing industrial agreements and said that the dispute with Airbus only concerned responsibilities for the next phase, which provides for a flying demonstrator.
He added to discuss the dispute with the director of the Airbus defense division, but that no compromise had been found at the moment. No deadline has been set for negotiations, he added.
Airbus says it remains involved in the success of the SCAF project and in all agreements that have so far been concluded.
(Report Tim Hepher, written by Makini Brice; Coralie Lamarque, edited by Kate Entringer)
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