Key Points – Tensions between France’s Dassault Aviation and German-Spanish partner Airbus are threatening to derail the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), Europe’s sixth-generation stealth fighter program.
-Speaking at the 2025 Paris Air Show, Airbus’s head of air power, Jean-Brice Dumont, highlighted ongoing friction over workshare and intellectual property.
-This public discord follows earlier complaints from Dassault CEO Eric Trappier about the program’s inefficient governance structure.
-As this “bickering” causes delays, the rival UK-Italy-Japan Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) appears to be pulling ahead, raising concerns about the future of Europe’s premier defense project.
Paris Air Show, France And Germany Dispute Over FCAS Fighter
The 2025 Paris Air Show revealed that tensions between France and Germany are simmering due to disagreements over the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program.
While there’s agreement on Dassault leading the fighter jet development, workshare and project leadership are causing friction. This “bickering” is seen as detrimental to Europe’s efforts to strengthen its defense capabilities.
Germany’s Airbus and France’s Dassault Aviation are working alongside Spain’s Indra Sistemas to build a sixth-generation fighter jet called Future Combat Air System, or FCAS.
Still, Airbus and Dassault have encountered difficulties in sharing the workload, creating a challenging environment, Jean-Brice Dumont, head of air power at Airbus, told reporters on Tuesday at the Paris Air Show.
European Defense Doesn’t Need Discord Right Now
This public display of discord between France and Germany, key players in European defense, is concerning, especially given the need for increased military capabilities in a complex global landscape.
“We don’t challenge that there is an appointed leader for the fighter program. That leader is Dassault,” but “we have to claim that there is an even share corresponding to the share of our governments that doesn’t have to become toxic in the program,” Dumont said.
Dumont added that while the companies work to protect their intellectual property, the joint project is akin to a marriage.
“We are today married with BAE and Leonardo in the Eurofighter program. Tomorrow with Dassault, and the transition from one to the other isn’t an easy transition when we have to protect our IP, and tomorrow we will have to share everything, and I believe that’s one of the sources of tensions in this program,” Dumont said.
France Could Drop Out of FCAS and Go Solo
Since its inception, the FCAS program has faced numerous challenges, including disagreements over the aircraft’s design, budgeting, intellectual property rights, industrial work-sharing, and operational priorities.
The three stakeholders have attempted to make the arrangement work, but differences persist, hindering plans to field the aircraft by the mid-2030s.
The frequently outspoken Dassault CEO, Eric Trappier, insisted that only his company has the necessary skills to develop the NGF, dismissing the idea of sharing work on that project.
Back in April, Trappier told the French government that the governance structure had to change.
“This means that France, despite being the lead nation and contributing significantly to the program, can be outvoted by Germany and Spain. Such a set-up leads to continuous negotiations and hampers efficient decision-making,” he said.
Trappier said the fragmented work methodology of FCAS is a primary cause of delays, as “each time we reopen, pointless, endless discussions” with a push for more co-development and cooperation. Trappier said he disagrees with that model, and the focus should be on prioritizing the best skills.
He was asked whether Dassault could produce the aircraft alone, should the FCAS program fail, and provide France with a stealth-capable aircraft within a reasonable timeframe.
“I don’t want to sound arrogant at all, but whose capabilities do I need other than my own to make a combat aircraft?” Trappier said. “So I’m willing to cooperate and share. I’m not against it, but I’m the one with the skills.”
Global Combat Air Program Leaps Ahead of FCAS
With the delays in the FCAS program, another European project to develop a sixth-generation stealth fighter involving the UK, Italy, and Japan, known as the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP), is well underway.
It seems to have overtaken the FCAS as they rolled out their design at last year’s Farnborough Air Show.
The program aims to deliver a technologically advanced, sixth-generation fighter by 2035, replacing the Eurofighter Typhoon and Japan’s F-2. GCAP is being developed through collaboration between the respective governments and their industries, with BAE Systems (UK), Leonardo (Italy), and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (Japan).
The United States is advancing its own sixth-generation stealth fighter, the F-47, as part of the Next Generation Air Dominance program. Boeing claims that the F-47 will be the most stealthy aircraft ever, but it is the next-generation fighter jet designed with advanced stealth capabilities.
While it’s true that the F-47 is designed to be significantly stealthier than the F-22, boasting “Stealth++” capabilities, it’s not yet definitively the most stealthy until it enters operational service and real-world performance is assessed.
About the Author
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.
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