French President Emmanuel Macron announced a final step to salvage the 6th-gen FCAS program with Germany, saying Chancellor Friedrich Merz had agreed to a “mission” to mediate between Dassault Aviation and Airbus
The FCAS programme, a flagship joint effort by France, Germany, and Spain to build a next-generation combat aircraft, has faltered amid persistent disagreements between France’s Dassault Aviation and Airbus.
“We have decided to launch a mission to bring Airbus and Dassault closer together in the coming weeks… to find common ground,” the French president told reporters at an EU summit in Brussels.
It comes after Macron and Merz held talks over dinner in the Belgian capital on Wednesday and once more postponed a political decision on the project’s fate, initially due last December.
The German Aerospace Industries Association (BDLI) welcomed the announcement, saying it was “optimistic that clarity will finally be achieved by mid-April”.
“It is an important signal and a valuable commitment to German industry that the government, together with France, is now pushing for a swift resolution,” said CEO Marie-Christine von Hahn.
“After months of uncertainty, a viable solution is now needed that also serves Germany’s defence, industrial and economic interests,” she said.
The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme was launched in 2017 to replace the Rafale and Eurofighter jets used by Germany and Spain.
It is often seen as a bellwether of defence and security cooperation between France and Germany as the two EU powerhouses seek to put up a united front in the face of a hostile Russia and wavering US security commitment.
But bitter divisions between the rival firms have threatened to scupper it. This month, Dassault accused Airbus of torpedoing the project, which Merz had in February signalled Berlin could abandon altogether.
“I strongly believe in this project. I think it is strategically relevant,” Macron said Thursday.
The armed forces of France and Germany, as well as the companies involved, also believe it is important, but the latter “can’t reach an agreement,” he said.
“Our job is to get them to agree,” he said.
Is FCAS Collapsing?
Conceived as a ‘system of systems’ program that includes a next-generation fighter (NGF), adjunct aircraft, and a combat cloud, the FCAS has been delayed by several years due to deadlock between Airbus (representing Germany and Spain) and Dassault (representing France).
Earlier, Chancellor Merz hinted that Germany could ditch the warplane project, adding that it does not need the same new fighter jets as France.
“The French need, in the next generation of fighter jets, an aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons and operating from an aircraft carrier,” Merz told the German podcast Machtwechsel. “That’s not what we currently need in the German military,” he said.
The statement came after he said the FCAS collaboration was certain to produce combined defence systems, although it was unclear whether the French-German-Spanish FCAS warplane initiative would result in collaborative aircraft.
“There will definitely be joint systems,” Merz said. “We are currently in intensive talks with France about the extent to which we will continue to develop and build joint aircraft, and I expect that we will reach a joint decision on this within the next few weeks.”
These repeated hints point towards the development of two different fighter jets, each led by France and Germany, respectively.
Emmanuel Macron’s office said that he “remains committed to the success” of the project.
“The military needs of the three participating states have not changed, and these needs included from the outset French [nuclear] deterrence as well as the other missions of the future aircraft,” the Elysee Palace said in a statement while Macron was travelling in India. “Given the strategic stakes for Europe, it would be incomprehensible if industrial differences could not be overcome, especially as we must collectively demonstrate unity and performance in all areas concerning its industry, technology, and defence.”
Industrial disputes have caused the 100-billion-euro ($118-billion) project, which was launched in 2017 to replace France’s Rafales and Eurofighters from 2040, to stagnate.
Dassault was in charge of the crewed NGF as part of the larger FCAS program, while Airbus was designated to lead stealth technology, new cloud capabilities, and the “loyal wingman” remote-carrier drone design. Safran, on the other hand, was creating a new jet engine for the fighter, while Indra, based in Spain, was working on the sensor systems.
The gridlock has been attributed to Dassault’s reluctance to share the NGF workload with its counterparts. Eric Trappier, the CEO of Dassault, stated in an interview last year that a partnership centred on work sharing might result in a less-than-ideal technological solution, adding that Dassault has decades of experience and the requisite skills to build entire fighter jets on its own.
However, Germany, represented by Airbus, has refused to give Dassault the greater share, which would favour the French contractor and leave German industry literally empty-handed.
While both Germany and France reportedly put pressure on industrial leaders Airbus and Dassault to find a solution to the troubled joint fighter jet project, a decision was indefinitely postponed at the end of December 2025.
Germany had earlier threatened to withdraw from the FCAS if the two sides failed to resolve the issues amicably. In fact, reports suggested that Berlin was looking for other partners to develop the next-generation fighter jet, with Sweden and Britain under consideration.
Via Agence France-Presse and ET Online Desk
