Germany's Pistorius wants fighter jet partnership decision by March

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius expects a fundamental decision on the development of a new air combat system by the end of March 2027, he said in remarks published on Saturday. 

Pistorius told the Funke Media Group he is very keen for the German aerospace industry to play a role in the development of a new jet fighter, following the scrapping of the Franco-German FCAS project earlier this year. 

He said the German industry cannot manage such a project on its own, but is keen to explore cooperation with international partners.

"There are two options on the table - participation in the Global Combat Air Programme [GCAP] involving the British, Italians and Japanese. We are currently in talks regarding this," he said.

"We must, for example, examine whether Germany's involvement could lead to a significant delay, which would be hardly acceptable to all parties involved," said Pistorius. 

As a second option, Airbus could develop its own project in collaboration with other European partners, with a view to the early 2040s.

In October, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham offered German Chancellor Friedrich Merz the opportunity to jointly develop a new fighter jet under the GCAP programme. 

The Franco-German FCAS fighter jet project collapsed because, after years of negotiations, the two sides were unable to reach an agreement.