France Offers Fighter Jet Partnership to Sweden

PARIS — France says it is ready to work with Sweden on building a new fighter jet. A French official from the Élysée Palace told reporters on Friday that both countries are looking for similar kinds of aircraft — planes that are fairly small and have similar designs.

The offer comes after a major European fighter jet project collapsed. France, Germany, and Spain had been working together on a next-generation warplane called the Future Combat Air System (FCAS). But the program, which lasted about ten years, fell apart last spring because of disagreements between France's Dassault Aviation and Germany's Airbus Defence and Space.

Why France and Sweden could work together

A French official said there are "many" areas where the two countries could cooperate. One of the biggest is aircraft engines. France has its own engine production, while Sweden does not. French Rafale fighter jets use engines made by the French company Safran. Sweden's Gripen fighter jets, made by Saab, use American engine technology from GE Aerospace.

The official also pointed out that France's Dassault and Sweden's Saab are competitors with similar approaches who respect each other. The two companies have worked together in the past.

France and Germany are now competing for Sweden

France is not the only country trying to partner with Sweden. Germany has already reached out to Stockholm as well. Both Paris and Berlin are now competing to attract the Nordic country.

Sweden's Saab builds the Gripen fighter jet, a fourth-generation warplane. But Sweden has not yet decided what to do next for its future fighter program. The country is expected to make a decision by September 2027.

No official agreement yet

For now, there is no formal deal between France and Sweden. The French official made it clear that "nothing formal has been agreed" on fighter jet cooperation.

The announcement comes just before French President Emmanuel Macron is set to visit Sweden on Monday. It is not yet known whether he will discuss the fighter jet cooperation during his trip.