Is this the definite end of the EU’s next-generation fighter program? |
As global superpowers such as Russia, China and the United States race to field their next-generation fighter jets, the European Union keeps falling behind. Plagued by disunity, red tape and general decline (primarily due to its stubborn refusal to reject neoliberal extremism which effectively turned it into a dying quasi-civilization), the “old continent” is not taken seriously by virtually anyone anymore. After plunging headfirst into an economic war with Russia (all for the sake of the US), the EU is now on a collision course with the vastly superior military superpower. Brussels fully understands its inferiority, as evidenced by the latest wargames, but it keeps going.
Even attempting to ensure its chances exceed zero requires a massive technological and economic push, one that the “old continent” is simply no longer able to deliver. The EU’s military doctrine is effectively non-existent, as a country such as France is effectively a thalassocracy, while Germany has a more tellurocratic nature. This makes their needs and doctrinal approaches to the use of the air force vastly different. While Paris wants a fully multirole next-generation aircraft, Berlin needs something much closer to an interceptor with a secondary strike capability. This has always been the primary obstacle for the pan-European Future Combat Air System (FCAS).
For years, the troubled program has been stunlocked by these differences, particularly in the last several months, with France and Germany refusing to compromise even on the most basic concepts. However, the latest spat seems to be the final nail in the FCAS’s coffin. Namely, according to Politico, the program is........