Germany pivots to a national fighter jet after the Franco-German FCAS collapses, leaving Spain searching for a role

The collapse of a flagship

Europe's most ambitious defence programme, the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), is dead. Launched in 2017 by Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron and later joined by Spain, the project aimed to field a sixth-generation manned fighter alongside drones and a combat cloud by 2040, replacing the Eurofighter and Rafale fleets. After years of deadlock, the German chancellor Friedrich Merz and the French president concluded last week during the EU-Balkans summit in Montenegro that the industrial impasse could not be broken.

The president Emmanuel Macron and I really did not take this question of the Franco-German combat aircraft lightly.

The core dispute pitted Dassault Aviation, which demanded leadership over the fighter's design and control of technologies tied to France's nuclear deterrent, against Airbus, which represented German and Spanish interests and sought a more balanced share of work and intellectual property. France also required a carrier-capable aircraft able to carry nuclear weapons, while Germany needed a conventional land-based fighter for the Luftwaffe.

Germany's rapid pivot

Within days of the cancellation, Airbus Defence and Space presented the German defence ministry with a proposal called Team Gen 6. The consortium brings together eight firms: Airbus's German subsidiary, MBDA, Hensoldt, Diehl Defence, Liebherr, MTU Aero Engines, Rohde & Schwarz, and Autoflug. The group informed Chancellor Merz and Defence Minister Boris Pistorius by letter of its intention to develop a sixth-generation fighter.

We do not want to develop a German copy of the FCAS.

The alliance is pushing for a political decision and funding commitments from Berlin. The plan envisions a simpler, less complex aircraft than the FCAS concept. Michael Schöllhorn, the German CEO of Airbus Defence and Space based in Taufkirchen, is reported to be the driving force behind the initiative. The consortium is expected to formalise its launch at the ILA Berlin air show.

Spain's sidelining

Spain joined the FCAS in 2019 with a commitment to cover one-third of the cost, channelling more than €2 billion through Indra, ITP, Sener and other domestic firms. The government in Madrid framed the entry as participation "on equal terms." That parity evaporated when the programme was terminated. Belén Gualda, president of the state holding company SEPI and Indra's largest shareholder, told the Spanish Congress she learned of the cancellation from the media and had not yet spoken with Indra.

I think it is bad news, very worrying for Europe and for the strategic autonomy of Europe. In this case, industry interests have been put ahead of the security and defence interests of Europe.

The Spanish defence minister called the outcome a "failure" for Europe and urged a broader reflection on joint defence programmes. Spain now needs to replace its F-18 fleet before the aircraft reach the end of their operational life. Relying solely on the fourth-generation Eurofighter would leave the air force with an ageing inventory.

What remains and what comes next

Merz stressed at the ILA Berlin air show that the "true core" of FCAS will survive as a "system of systems" — a Franco-German project focused on a combat cloud connecting aircraft, drones, satellites and sensors in real time. Defence ministers from both countries are to flesh out the plan by a ministerial council in Germany in July. The manned fighter, however, is gone.

Germany is now exploring multiple paths: the Team Gen 6 national fighter, joining the British-Italian-Japanese GCAP programme that is developing the Tempest, or buying additional American F-35s. Berlin is also looking to Spain and Sweden as potential partners for the Airbus-led fighter, while Dassault intends to continue evolving the Rafale independently. The broader FCAS collapse leaves the European defence industrial landscape more fragmented than at any point since the programme was conceived.