A push by French warplane maker Dassault Aviation to increase its profile in the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program is causing friction within the French-German-Spanish collaboration.
The proposal suggests raising Dassault’s workshare responsibility for certain components of the program to 80%, which would significantly impact Airbus Defence and Space, the industrial counterpart representing Germany and Spain. This potential shift threatens to reignite tensions in a program largely held together by the political support of French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu and his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius.
Reports regarding this possible redistribution of influence within the main combat aircraft segment first emerged on Sunday in the German defense publication *Hartpunkt*, followed by a report from *Reuters* on Monday.
The FCAS program aims to develop sixth-generation replacement aircraft for France’s Rafale and Germany’s Eurofighter, with initial deployment targeted for sometime in the 2040s, although mid-decade is currently seen as the most realistic timeline.
The project is designed to feature a central combat jet accompanied by drones for strike, surveillance, and electronic warfare tasks. These elements are intended to be coordinated by a system referred to as a combat cloud, which will handle sensor fusion and command-control operations.
French, German, and Spanish defense companies have collaborated for years on various elements of this advanced weapon system, managing responsibilities across sub-projects. France is currently viewed as the overall lead in a roughly balanced arrangement with its partners.
However, consistent challenges have arisen in the cooperation between Dassault and Airbus regarding the main fighter’s development. Dassault CEO Eric Trappier has expressed reluctance to relinquish authority to Airbus, emphasizing his company’s extensive warplane expertise as critical for national security.
Conversely, Airbus, as a multinational entity reliant on European collaboration, aims to maintain its military aircraft capabilities, which are crucial for sustaining jobs across Europe linked to Eurofighter industries.
A German defense ministry spokesman noted on Monday that there is an existing government-level agreement that had established a balance between Airbus and Dassault’s stakes, indicating no formal intervention from Paris to adjust this balance.
In late June, Trappier mentioned during discussions with French lawmakers that the upcoming Phase 2 of the FCAS program, which focuses on building a demonstrator plane, necessitates reassessing the roles defined in the earlier design-focused phase. He argued that effectively producing the aircraft would require centralized leadership with the authority to select subcontractors.
“This does not mean that all the work must be done in France, but that we must be able to choose the best to make the best aircraft,” Trappier stated.
Report contributed by Rudy Ruitenberg in Paris.
Sebastian Sprenger is the associate editor for Europe at Defense News, covering the defense market dynamics in the region and U.S.-Europe collaboration in defense. He previously served as managing editor for Defense News and is based in Cologne, Germany.
