Defense

PARIS — France said it’s fully committed to reaching a “mutually acceptable solution” with Germany and Spain this year on the next phase of the Future Combat Air System, as prospects for the next-generation fighter project remain troubled amid infighting amongst the industrial partners. France, Germany, Spain and the companies involved are “fully mobilized” to prepare phase 2 of the…

BERLIN – Switzerland’s order of F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin will be significantly more expensive than originally expected, prompting introspection in Bern about possibly altering the procurement. The original Swiss plan was for 36 jets of the F-35A variant at a fixed price of 6 billion Swiss francs ($7.55 billion). The procurement was decided in 2021 and the contract signed…

The U.S. Army is rolling out a new initiative, dubbed Fuze, that leaders say will overhaul how the service invests in technology by borrowing from Silicon Valley’s venture capital playbook. The service is betting that venture-style risk-taking can shave years off procurement timelines and will determine whether Silicon Valley speed can mesh with Pentagon scale. “With Fuze, the Army is telling…