Germany, France and Spain have yet to agree on the next steps in the Joint Fighters program because of differences over intellectual property rights between Germany, France and Spain after the deadline expires, the Defense Ministry said on May 1.
A spokesman for germany’s defence ministry said: “It is vital for Germany to have unrestricted access to the results of co-financing research.” She added that the goal of those countries was to reach an agreement next week.
Last week, german and French defence ministers set a deadline of the end of April for a deal that they hope will lead to a deal for Europe’s largest defence project, the Future Combat Aviation System (FCAS).
The project, which cost more than 100 billion euros ($120 billion), brings together teams from Germany, France and Spain.
Three companies, Dassault Aviation, Airbus and Indra, are involved in the project, which aims to replace French Tornados and German and Spanish Typhoon fighters by 2040.
