FT: Airbus–Dassault rift puts FCAS fighter jet project at risk

The European Future Combat Air System (FCAS) fighter jet programme is at risk of collapsing due to ongoing disputes between Airbus and the French company Dassault Aviation, the two main industrial partners. According to the Financial Times, citing sources, the companies remain unable to agree on workshare, the selection of suppliers, and control over the aircraft’s design.

As a result, France and Germany may soon abandon the development of the fighter jet itself and instead focus solely on a cloud-based command-and-control architecture — the so-called "combat cloud" — which would integrate fighter aircraft with radars, drones, and ground and naval command systems.

"We can live with several different jets in Europe, but we need one cloud system to connect all of them," one source told the FT.

The project is expected to be discussed by the French and German defence ministers on Monday, followed by a meeting between the two countries’ leaders on Tuesday.

The report notes that France, Germany and Spain — the third partner in the programme — must make a final decision on the future of the fighter by the end of the year. However, many experts say it is already too late to resolve the rift between Airbus and Dassault.

"The deal is completely blocked and close to falling apart. There is no trust left — each side accuses the other of violating the terms. This cannot be fixed," said a French banker familiar with the negotiations.

• The FCAS programme was announced in 2017, with French President Emmanuel Macron and then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel describing it as a historic milestone.