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In the National Assembly, some went so far as to evoke a “plan B” in the event of failure of this cooperation with Germany [not to mention Spain]. Plan B that Éric Trappier regularly mentions…
But the Senate obviously intends to go much further. Indeed, within the framework of the examination of the finance bill [PLF] 2023, its finance committee adopted an amendment which, submitted by Dominique de Legge, proposes to finance studies "intended to establish the conditions of feasibility of a new generation fighter project financed by France outside of any cooperation".
For this, the text proposes an opening of 10 million euros in commitment authorizations and payment appropriations for the benefit of program 144 “Environment and prospective of Defense”. Which seems modest in view of the stakes... But as Senator Cédric Perrin explained, during the work of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, this amendment aims to remind the government that it must "give guarantees on the preservation of a certain number of strategic interests of France”. And to insist: “The needs of our armies must be taken into account – deterrence and navalization – as well as the protection of intellectual property. Export rules need to be clarified.”
More specifically, taking note of the delay already accumulated by the SCAF and the difficulties in reaching an agreement between the three countries involved in this programme, the amendment considers it necessary to explore the feasibility of a national "plan B" "in order to anticipate a possible impasse in the negotiations", but without calling into question the "plan A" in the immediate future. And all this while arguing that “every day of additional delay in the negotiations is a day lost for the preparation of the French armies for the air war of the future”.
In addition, with regard to negotiations with Germany and Spain, the amendment insists that France "must remain firm on certain points of essential national interest, such as the ability to provide equipment and systems of weapons corresponding to the degree of autonomy in action" that it wishes. Or even as the “maintenance over time of an industry independent of foreign regulations, in terms of export control in particular”.
By acting in this way, the Senate is responding to the Bundestag, which recently adopted a resolution to demand that the German government "better take into account the interests of industry" both in the SCAF and in the MGCS [future combat tank] project. ].
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