Germany, France Suspend Work on FCAS Sixth-Gen Fighter Project

Germany and France have decided to suspend the European sixth-generation fighter Future Combat Air System (FCAS) project due differences between Dassault and Airbus.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron concluded that Dassault and Airbus would not be able to reach a compromise on the development of a joint combat aircraft, Tagesspiegel newspaper reported, citing government sources.

Merz suggested that Macron abandon further work on the creation of a joint fighter. At the same time, he emphasized the feasibility of continuing cooperation in other areas, in particular, on the integration of various weapons systems, platforms and sensors into the so-called Combat Cloud.

Thus, individual elements of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program remain relevant.

This ambitious project was launched by then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron in July 2017. However, over time, Airbus and Dassault's visions for the future fighter began to diverge.

Dassault, the maker of Rafale jets claimed a dominant role in the project and a significantly larger share of the work. On the other hand, the German side which is dominant in the Eurofighter consortium, insisted on adhering to the existing agreements, which provided for equal participation of companies in the program.

The two parties have repeatedly accused each other of failing to ensure the development of individual components, which is why  the program has actually lost momentum.

The political decision on the future of FCAS has been repeatedly postponed, but now, according to the publication, Macron and Merz have effectively put an end to the project.

It is worth noting that as early as December 2025, there were calls in the Bundestag for Germany to withdraw from the program.

After the dispute escalated, Airbus announced its readiness to develop a sixth-generation fighter without Dassault's participation. Earlier, Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier had said that Dassault Aviation was capable of implementing a sixth-gen fighter program on its own.

The future:

According to German experts, further developments could follow one of two scenarios: the creation of its own national fighter or joining one of the international programs - the British-Japanese-Italian GCAP project or the Swedish program to create a sixth-generation fighter.