Rolls-Royce boss ‘open’ to Germany joining UK’s fighter jet project

Rolls-Royce boss ‘open’ to Germany joining UK’s fighter jet project Tufan Erginbilgiç says decision is for the government but German participation remains a possibility The boss of Rolls-Royce has said he would welcome Germany helping to build Britain’s next-generation fighter jet, arguing that it would bring in more business for the project. The aircraft, designed to replace the Eurofighter Typhoon, is a joint effort between the UK, Italy and Japan . Rolls-Royce is building the engine for the jet, which has attracted fresh attention as plans for a rival Franco-German warplane edge towards collapse. Tufan Erginbilgiç, who has run the engineering company since 2023, told the Guardian he would “definitely be open” to Germany joining the global combat aircraft programme , also known as Tempest. “We already work with Germany … we have a big position in Dahlewitz [a Rolls-Royce factory near Berlin]. In terms of civil aerospace, we do business aviation engines there,” he said. “But the GCAP benefit will be beyond that. More countries joining means more countries will certainly buy, because you cannot be a partner and not buy. “It is the government’s decision, not mine or any commercial company. Depending on how geopolitics and other things develop, [Germany joining] continues to be a possibility.” Speculation has mounted around Germany joining GCAP after it fell out with France over their own joint fighter project. The Franco-German future combat air system has stalled amid a rift between the two biggest companies tasked with building it: Dassault, France’s national fighter jet maker, and Airbus’s German-headquartered defence business. In February the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, signalled that the planned warplane did not suit Germany’s needs. The German military did not need a nuclear-capable fighter, while France did, he said, insisting it was “not a political dispute” but a technical one between the two countries. Britain has signalled it would be open to new pa...