Potential Collapse of Europe’s Next-Generation Fighter Jet Project
Dassault Aviation has issued a warning that the €100 billion project to develop Europe’s next-generation fighter jet may soon be "dead" if Airbus does not agree on how to share the workload. The project, a collaboration primarily between France and Germany, faces a growing corporate rift over the division of responsibilities in building the aircraft.
Éric Trappier, chief executive of Dassault Aviation, France’s leading warplane manufacturer, stated that Airbus’s defence division, representing Germany and Spain, must cooperate or the project will fail.
"Airbus doesn’t want to work with Dassault, full stop. I take note. I never said I didn’t want to work with or with the Germans," said Trappier via an interpreter during the presentation of the company’s financial results on Wednesday.
"If Airbus maintains its position of not wanting to work with Dassault, the matter is dead," he added.
Dispute Over Leadership and Workload Sharing
The disagreement centers on how to allocate work on the jet component of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS). Dassault insists it should lead the project, with Airbus taking a secondary role.
The FCAS project, which also includes autonomous drones and an advanced "combat communications cloud," was announced nearly nine years ago. However, it has since become emblematic of Europe’s challenges in effective defence cooperation.
"Dassault was the selected leader … I understand that Airbus doesn’t like that decision but we are making sure that we comply with the contract," Trappier said.
Technical Disputes Between France and Germany
Trappier also addressed comments made by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who suggested the planned warplane did not meet Germany’s requirements. Scholz noted that the German military does not require a nuclear-capable fighter, unlike France, and characterized the issue as a technical rather than political dispute.
"I’ve heard what the chancellor said. I know that he’s now talking about having two planes instead of one. And that could be explained by the fact that there are different operational needs [between the two countries]," Trappier said.
"My highest authorities here in France say we have similar operational needs and that there is agreement at an operational level."
Airbus CEO’s Position and Future Decisions
Last month, Guillaume Faury, Airbus’s chief executive, also indicated openness to developing two separate warplanes to preserve other components of the FCAS programme.
France, Germany, and Spain are expected to decide soon whether to proceed to the next phase of the programme or to abandon the jet component and continue with the other elements.
Germany’s Potential Shift Toward the British-Led Tempest Programme
There have been reports that Germany may favor the rival Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), also known as Tempest, which is being developed by the United Kingdom, Italy, and Japan. This warplane is scheduled to fly five years earlier than the FCAS, with a planned first flight in 2035.
Tufan Erginbilgiç, chief executive of Rolls-Royce, the company responsible for the engines of the British jet, expressed enthusiasm about Germany potentially joining the Tempest programme.
