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French President Emmanuel Macron (left) with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (right) in Brussels on March 19.
France and Germany are poised to make a decision on whether they can repair the fractured defense industrial relationship for the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program to jointly develop a new fighter—or whether the rift is too large.
French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters he would mount a push to bring Airbus and Dassault Aviation back together. Germany said it is looking for a decision by mid-April so budgetary decisions can be advanced. Spain is also a program partner.
Paris and Berlin last year had pledged to come to a resolution by the end of 2025, but missed the self-imposed deadline given higher-priority discussions.
Tensions have been high between Dassault Aviation—which leads the fighter element of the FCAS program—and Airbus over the structure of the program going forward. Dassault wants more say on decisions, while Airbus says the agreed framework should remain in place.
The differences have deepened to the point that the German government has said it may make more sense for Germany and France to pursue separate fighters under the FCAS umbrella, given requirements differences. France has pushed back against the idea.
German aerospace trade association BDLI welcomed the move to get to a resolution. “After months of uncertainty, the time is now to arrive at a sustainable solution that adequately addresses German defense, industrial and economic interests,“ BDLI boss Marie-Christine von Hahn said.
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