Berlin and Paris confident about joint defence projects

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal say they are optimistic about two joint defence programmes currently in development: the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) and the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS).

"I want to say explicitly that I see both projects making good progress and that the cooperation between our two countries is very intensive," Scholz said after talks with Attal in Berlin on Monday evening.

Attal also said that he believed in the ability to make progress on both initiatives.

"I believe that there is an absolute will between our two countries and, above all, an absolute interest, which is reinforced by the return of war to the European continent."

MGCS is intended as the successor to Germany's Leopard and France's Leclerc main battle tanks and should be operational in the course of the next decade.

The FCAS air combat system should be operational from 2040 and replace the Eurofighter combat aircraft.