Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron had announced the birth of a series of joint projects, including a new fighter superjet. And tomorrow in Berlin, at the ILA, the International Aeronautics and Space Exhibition, the “next step” should arrive, according to what die Welt on line writes. "It does not have a name yet, it is defined as the sixth generation: almost a 'nephew' of the Eurofighter", writes the newspaper, about the jet, "around which Airbus and the German Air Force want to create an entire system, the 'Future combat Air System' ". System that could cost up to 80 billion euros in the future. “With or without men on board, the jet will have to be guided by drones which, with the help of artificial intelligence, find their way”, it says. At the ILA, the Americans, for their part, will present the new F35 as a successor to the tornado: and Lockheed Martin would like to have the Germans among its customers. But on this point, Airbus sets clear stakes: "One thing is certain - Dirk Hoke, head of the Airbus defense division explains to the newspaper - as soon as Germany becomes an F35 nation, collaboration with France on all aircraft from war is dead. Germany will lose this competence and jobs. There are no more compromises in this regard ”. "Europe must clearly define its sovereignty" and "protect its independence" in defense, he added. However, Hoke believes that the Franco-German axis “can now work. Both sides are willing to find compromises, and accelerate ”.
