Armed Forces Ministry Set To Launch New Fighter Program With Germany

France and Germany are expected to formally award the initial contract for the joint Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program this week, reports Reuters. 

The two-year, 65 million euro (US$74 million) contract is scheduled to be signed on Wednesday at a Safran facility in Paris. 

The costs are being shared equally by both countries. 

French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly and German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen will preside over the ceremony, where representatives of Airbus and Dassault Aviation will sign a memorandum of understanding, sources said. 

After two years of preparations, Dassault Aviation and Airbus will start work on the concept and outlines of the program to develop a new combat jet and associated weapons, including drones.

French firm Safran and German company MTU Aero Engines will develop the engine, said a German source. 

Spain is expected to join the project this summer. 

The new platform is expected to be ready by 2040.