In an effort to get P1A/P2 funding agreed, the German defence ministry has forwarded a request to German lawmakers for 4.5 Billion Euros ($5.3bn) to fund the effort out to 2027
https://www.defensenews.com/global/euro ... rch-phase/
Section in bold is quite telling because it provides an insight on the German perspective of the program, notably for what that fund is supposed to be for ...It covers a collection of research and technology-development activities, collectively dubbed phases 1B and 2, between 2021 and 2027. During that time, officials want to begin regular test flights with a demonstrator, constructed under the auspices of France’s Dassault Aviation.
The spending request comes after France “categorically rejected” an intermediate “bridging phase” in the German-Franco-Spanish program, according to the justification package forwarded by the Finance Ministry. Berlin had floated such a scenario given that the coronavirus pandemic has delayed completion of a joint concept study as well as the ongoing development, known as phase 1A.
Germany’s share in research expenditures on the program’s seven “pillars” and the development of an initial demonstrator amounts to 3.3 billion euros. In addition, Berlin is on the hook for 450 million euros to cover government-furnished equipment, which officials have previously said could include access to aircraft engines and airfield time.
Notably, the defense ministry wants to create a separate pot of 750 million euros dedicated solely to national developments. The amount is meant to ensure German industry’s “eye-level participation” vis-a-vis their counterparts from France and Spain.
So that 750mn is deemed neccesary as despite all of the press about the 'combat cloud', Germany thinks the effort is currently too 'fighter heavy' and not actually considering the wider system of systems with the associated complexities.Defense officials describe Germany’s envisioned national spending plan as a necessity, given that the trinational program alone would fail to yield a usable weapon for any of the partner nations. The “product-heavy” fighter development, for example, includes too little consideration for satellite communications and multi-layered sensor integration, leading Germany to set up its own developments on those areas.
The same logic underlies plans for an avionics test bed, according to the written spending request to lawmakers. “Avionics technologies are a core sub-system for further development and risk mitigation of the operational product,” officials wrote, adding that those aspects are outside the scope of the trinational program
German officials also want to offset nationally what they consider insufficient attention to the fields of electronic warfare, mission planning, weapons interfaces, and the secure distribution of sensor data, according to the document.
It's a bit surprising they currently have no plans for an avoinics test bed as part of the program. It's highly likely that the plans for the demonstrator will be repackaging the current state-of-the-art fit for Rafale at the time. It'll be powered by M88s after all so can't exactly pack in more powerful avionics as easily. The fact that Germany may be providing EJ200s might suggest their previous announcements of a Typhoon-based test bed might not be entirely dead.
All of this is underpinned by needing to get the German budget agreed before June. If they do not then the summer reccess kicks in and following that we enter an election cycle which (apparently) will be a more left-leaning coalition than currently exists, it'll be interesting to see how they compare with a more right-leaning government in Paris (if the recent trends continue).