(CNN) -- Normally Germany and France are close partners at the heart of Europe -- but U.S. diplomatic cables suggest a battle royal between the two allies over satellite technology, with the German space and intelligence agencies accusing the French of bad faith and looking to the United States as a future partner to develop next-generation satellites. At the heart of the rivalry is HiRos -- a High Resolution Optical System -- that would potentially be a leap forward in satellite surveillance. A flurry of cables obtained by WikiLeaks and published by the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten shows German officials lobbying for a "strategic US/German partnership" in 2009 to develop the system, amid French attempts to kill it.
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Cables show tensions between France and Germany
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Cables were obtained by WikiLeaks and published by a Norwegian newspaper
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Cables indicate Germans wanted U.S. partnership for satellite project
One cable from February 2009 reveals efforts by German officials to steer development work on @placeholder away from a Franco-German consortium toward a German company "in an effort to minimize French mischief."
@placeholder diplomats were enthusiastic about HiRos -- saying the German satellite program "has yielded sophisticated and reliable satellite systems that provide an extraordinary amount of product for their investment."
U.S. diplomats were enthusiastic about HiRos -- saying the @placeholder satellite program "has yielded sophisticated and reliable satellite systems that provide an extraordinary amount of product for their investment."