Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken is questioning his country’s role as an observer in the struggling Future Combat Air System (FCAS) project.

Germany and France have been involved in an ongoing dispute about the future of the €100 billion project.

Belgium had considered joining the programme to develop a next-generation air combat system and holds observer status. As recently as last year, Belgium planned to advance to full membership in the French-German-Spanish programme. But now that the project appears to be on the brink of collapse, the country is starting to question its role.

In the meantime, the conflict between Germany and France and their main contractors, Airbus Defence and Space and Dassault Aviation, intensified.

Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz recently said that his country’s air force does not need the same fighter jets as France, raising further doubt about the project’s future. A possible solution would be to continue working on the fighter system with its combat cloud and autonomous drones, but build two separate jets.

When asked whether he is considering alternatives for Belgium, such as the British-Italian-Japanese GCAP project, Francken didn’t rule it out.

“We will see about that,” he said.

At the end of February, the defence minister assessed that “there will be no sixth-generation French-German-Spanish fighter jet,” as the rift between France and Germany is too deep.

Currently, Belgium is acquiring 34 F-35’s, a 5th-generation fighter jet from the US, with the option to buy an additional 11 to replace its aging fleet of F-16s.

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