@planefag Dassault essentially represents the only sovereign combat aircraft development and production capability in Europe. Everybody else is stuck in the consortiums. The French have decided that Dassault is worth the delay, and given Su-57 production that may not be a bad gamble.
@planefag Why did they need to build the Eurofighter consortium after Panavia delivered a product 20 years before? Also, the French are somehow able to participate in MBDA. Airbus already has a huge footprint in France. The issue isn't the French, it's Dassault.
@boomers_ass 777Xs would require answers about whether composite wings can be repaired after battle damage. Boeing only has about 50 more 777Fs to build before they fully switch over to the 777X, so new-build may not be an option if you want metal wings.