PARIS, Dec 1 — The companies involved in developing a European next-generation fighter jet have settled their dispute and reached an agreement to move forward, the head of Dassault Aviation told Le Figaro newspaper.

"Today, yes, it is done”, said the firm’s Chief Executive Eric Trappier in the interview.

Trappier has also informed French President Emmanuel Macron of the deal, according to the paper, which is owned by the Dassault group.

Dassault Aviation spearheads the FCAS fighter jet programme, which also involves Airbus and Thales.

The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) is designed to replace the German-Spanish Eurofighter and Dassault’s Rafale with a combination of manned and unmanned aircraft from 2040.

The industrial partners in the aircraft programme are Airbus on behalf of Germany, France’s Dassault and Indra of Spain.

German and French government officials in past weeks indicated the companies were nearing an agreement, but the involved firms had so far denied a deal was struck, after the project was stuck in a stalemate between Airbus and Dassault over how to share the work.

"We have an agreement with Airbus”, Trappier told Le Figaro today, adding: "We have obtained all the necessary guarantees to open the next phase which is still, I am reminding you, a phase of preliminary studies.”

Airbus was not immediately available for comment.

French President Emmanuel Macron and then German Chancellor Angela Merkel first announced plans in July 2017 for FCAS, which will include a fighter jet and a range of associated weapons, including drones.

Lately, the project — originally meant to unify Europeans after the migration crisis and Britain’s decision to leave the European Union — has been a source of tension between the two countries. — Reuters