France and Germany have officially terminated the joint development of a manned fighter aircraft as part of the ambitious Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme. This was announced by official sources in Berlin and Paris.
The decision was taken by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron after it became evident that the participating companies — French Dassault Aviation and the European consortium Airbus (representing German and Spanish interests) — could not overcome deep disagreements.
The conflict between the companies had lasted several years and centred on key issues:
Distribution of work and project shares
Intellectual property rights
Leadership in development
Technical specifications of the aircraft
France insisted on a fighter jet capable of carrying nuclear weapons and operating from aircraft carriers, while Germany had different priorities for its air force. Despite years of mediation attempts, the parties failed to reach a compromise.
The FCAS project, launched in 2017 with Spain’s participation, was estimated to cost approximately €100 billion. It was intended to become a symbol of European defence autonomy and was to include not only a new sixth-generation fighter (Next Generation Fighter), but also a system of unmanned drones and a “combat cloud” data exchange network.
The project has not been fully cancelled. The parties expressed their intention to continue cooperation on individual components — particularly the development of carrier drones and the combat cloud system. However, the main element — the joint manned fighter jet — has been deemed unfeasible in its current format.
This decision represents a serious setback for Europe’s efforts to strengthen collective defence capabilities amid rising geopolitical tensions.
Sources in the Élysée Palace and Berlin confirmed that the leaders of both countries regret the outcome but consider it inevitable. According to some reports, Germany may now consider joining the British-Italian-Japanese Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP).