According to AlphaValue, Chancellor Merz may be prepared to pull the plug on the Franco-German fighter jet program.

'The paradox remains: FCAS has Europe's best fighter jet designer but suffers from a lack of coordination, while GCAP enjoys coordination but is deprived of Dassault', comments Saïma Hissain, analyst at AlphaValue.

According to the specialist, the debate is no longer about the aircraft itself, but about which entity will ultimately lead the future European air combat architecture. 'Interestingly, the retention of the 'drones' and 'combat cloud' pillars suggests that the most valuable elements of FCAS may not be the fighter jets', she notes.

In late trading in Paris, Dassault Aviation shares were up 0.8%.