Summary and Key Points: The Franco-German Future Combat Air System (FCAS) is “on the verge of collapse” due to missed critical deadlines for work-sharing agreements by Dassault and Airbus.
-Chancellor Friedrich Merz recently admitted that the 6th-generation project is making “no progress,” while French officials fear the manned fighter component is “dead.”
FCAS. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
-The core dispute centers on intellectual property and project leadership, with Paris accusing Berlin of “stealing know-how” and Berlin viewing the project as an expensive French bailout.
-If the fighter jet splits into two separate programs, it could derail Europe’s ability to field a unified aerial deterrence by the 2040 deadline.
“FCAS is Dead”: Why Europe’s Most Ambitious Fighter Jet Is on the Verge of Collapse
The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) is an ambitious but somewhat troubled project intended to deliver a sixth-generation fighter jet, along with a “combat cloud” and remote carriers.
“We are not making any progress with this project,” Friedrich Merz, Germany’s chancellor, said of the FCAS project last year. “Things cannot continue as they are.”
The Economist reported in October that the FCAS project, a joint project of France, Germany, and Spain, was in trouble. “ Industrial bickering is putting it all at risk,” the report said, with Airbus and Dassault at odds over control of the project.
Then, this week, Politico’s European arm reported that the project was “on the verge of collapse.”
“An announcement that [the project] is over is more likely than a relaunch,” a source described as “an official familiar with French President Emmanuel Macron’s thinking” told the outlet.
A French lawmaker, meanwhile, went further, declaring that “FCAS is dead, everyone knows it, but no one wants to say it.”
French officials do still wish to salvage the project, Politico reported.
A UK Eurofighter Typhoon flies above the Baltics on 25 May 2022.
UK and Czech fighter jets have been taking part in air defence training over the Baltic region. UK Eurofighter Typhoons, F-35s and Czech Gripens were involved in an exercise as part of Neptune Shield 22 (NESH22), a multinational maritime vigilance activity. NESH22 has seen a range of multi-domain activities between air, land and maritime assets across Europe and in the Baltic and Mediterranean Seas. It runs from 17 to 31 May 2022.
“We are doing everything we can to try and save this program. We’ll see how we can land,” the head of the French arms procurement agency, Patrick Pailloux, told reporters this week, per Politico.
Politico also detailed how the prior understandings broke down.
“The manned fighter has been at the core of the bitter industrial disputes between Dassault and Airbus over leadership, technology, and work-sharing, with little sign of a resolution. Dassault is looking for more control over the development of the Next Generation Fighter (NGF), a key component of the FCAS project,” Politico said. The companies missed a December deadline to resolve their differences.
“In Berlin, German officials insist Germany still wants to preserve parts of the project — particularly the joint combat cloud and other shared systems — even if the fighter itself splits into two separate jets,” the Politico report said.
Dassault Rafale Artist Image. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Macron Speaks on FCAS Fighter
Meanwhile, the French president spoke on Tuesday and made clear that he doesn’t consider the project dead.
According to Bloomberg News, citing a French-language interview Macron gave to Le Monde and other newspapers, President Emmanuel Macron is still trying to salvage the FCAS project.
“Germany and France are making a last-ditch effort to salvage one of Europe’s most ambitious defense projects, which has become mired in a battle for control between the main companies, as momentum builds in Berlin to bury it,” Bloomberg reported, adding that Macron plans to speak with Chancellor Merz.
“It’s a good project, and I haven’t heard a single German voice suggesting it’s not,” Macron told the newspapers in the interview. “For my part, I believe things must move forward.”
“Because you can imagine, if by chance, the German partner were to question the joint aircraft project, we would be forced to question the joint tank project as well,” Macron told the outlets.
What comes next for the project?
“FCAS is meant to be operational around 2040, but that deadline may be hard to meet,” the Bloomberg report said. “The program’s difficulties call into question Europe’s broader ability to form wartime alliances as the region comes under increasing US pressure to spend more on defense and become more self-reliant.”
Shown is a graphical artist rendering of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) Platform. The rendering highlights the Air Force’s sixth generation fighter, the F-47. The NGAD Platform will bring lethal, next-generation technologies to ensure air superiority for the Joint Force in any conflict. (U.S. Air Force graphic)
How the Troubles Started
In early December, the European Council on Foreign Relations analyzed why the FCAS project has run into trouble.
“For years now, FCAS has been synonymous with Franco-German troubles. The project was supposed to bring the two partners closer together and build a central pillar of Europe’s military sovereignty,” the European Council on Foreign Relations analysis said.
“Now, rumour has it that the fighter jet part could be scrapped. A fighter jet project without the fighter jet—while this sounds like the perfect metaphor for the state of Europe’s defence abilities, it could well be the only way to salvage the project. As the EU pushes for a stronger, more unified defence industry, backed by €800bn, FCAS shows that political will and money alonewill not be enough. Indeed, the drama around one of Europe’s largest joint defence projects could be a lesson on what not to do.”
The project that launched in 2018, per that analysis, “improved stealth, use of AI, and an ability to deploy cyber warfare.”
The idea is that Dassault will lead the Next Generation Fighter, with Airbus responsible for the Combat Cloud and the Remote Carriers.
So what went wrong?
“From its inception, FCAS has been plagued by problems,” the ECFR analysis said. “In Berlin, an often-expressed sentiment behind closed doors is that France just wants Germany to pay for their aircraft, while the French feel that Germany is trying to steal their intellectual property and their market share in defence. As France’s defence industry, especially its aircraft manufacturing, has long been a source of pride and a significant employer, Paris is taking the concern seriously.”
The biggest fight has been over how the jet will be developed.
Image of the UK’s concept model for the next generation jet fighter “Tempest”, which was unveiled by Defence Secretary, at Farnborough International Air Show back in 2018.
GCAP Fighter. Industry Handout Image.
“Germany has more money (especially with the recent changes), while France has more experience in building fighter jets: Dassault built the Rafale by itself, while Airbus has only been one partner in the Eurofighter consortium,” ECFR wrote. “Vautrin, the French defence minister, noted in a recent interview that ‘Germany today has not the ability to build an aircraft,’ a claim disputed in Berlin.”
The CEOs of Dassault and Airbus have been engaged in a public dispute.
“Dassault CEO Eric Trappier has been very outspoken in his criticism of the project. ‘I don’t mind if the Germans complain. Here, we know what we’re doing. If they want to do it themselves, let them do it themselves’ he recently told the French press,’” the analysis said.
“Airbus’s CEO responded in kind, proposing France leave the project. The German approach to project sharing focuses more on knowledge sharing and collaboration, as Germany seeks to build more capabilities for a next-generation fighter jet. Given the gap in knowledge on aircraft manufacturing, the French see this as Germany trying to get their hands on French know-how.”
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.