France-Germany FCAS fighter jet project collapses, triggering race for European defence alternatives

The collapse of FCAS

Berlin and Paris formally ended the FCAS fighter jet programme on 8 June after a long-running conflict between Airbus and Dassault over leadership and intellectual property rights. The two governments announced they would each pursue separate development paths, abandoning a joint project that was seen as the cornerstone of European air combat capability. A German government official stressed the following day that there would be no German solo effort.

“There will be no German solo effort, there will only be a European solution.”

The failure has raised immediate fears about future binational ventures, including the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) tank programme.

Industrial response and political reactions

At the ILA Berlin air show on 12 June, eight major defence firms — Airbus Defence and Space, MTU, Hensoldt, MBDA, Autoflug, Diehl Defence, Liebherr and Rohde & Schwarz — banded together as "Team Gen 6". They demanded that the German government continue investing in a sixth-generation fighter to avoid an "irreversible" loss of expertise when existing contracts expire this year. In parallel, a group of six Spanish companies, including Indra and ITP Aero, issued a joint statement offering their capabilities for a reshaped European programme. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius welcomed the initiative but urged caution.

“I am very pleased about this initiative, we need exactly such initiatives now. But we have to see very precisely who can do what with whom and how fast and at what costs and with what participation of the German industry.”

A timeline of disintegration

The FCAS collapse did not happen in isolation. The timeline above traces the project from its political genesis in 2017 through the rupture on 8 June and the immediate scramble for alternatives. A mid-July deadline now looms for defence ministers to present a list of joint projects, testing whether the Franco-German engine can still drive European defence integration.

MGCS tank project also under threat

Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger warned on 12 June that France might also withdraw from the MGCS tank programme.

“The danger is always present, but nothing is decided.”

He noted that consolidation efforts with the Franco-German KNDS group had gone nowhere, largely because of divergent state interests. Meanwhile, stark numerical asymmetries underscore the stakes: Germany fields roughly 300 Leopard 2 tanks and will begin receiving about 35 upgraded A8 models per year from 2027, while France has only 150 to 200 operational Leclerc tanks and has not built a new main battle tank in nearly two decades. By contrast, Western estimates indicate Russia plans to produce more than 1,000 modern tanks annually. The MGCS was designed to close this gap through joint production, but industry infighting and political friction are threatening to sink it.

Eurodrone dispute adds to the tension

The fallout is spreading to other joint programmes. According to insider reports, Dassault is seeking compensation from Airbus because the French company would receive a smaller share of the Eurodrone project. The French government has decided not to fund drone purchases until 2035, complicating the industrial balance. The Eurodrone — one of three 2017 initiatives along with FCAS and MGCS — is now in limbo, with Airbus chief Guillaume Faury acknowledging it would likely continue "in a somewhat different framework". The accumulated breakdowns signal a deeper crisis in European defence cooperation at a moment when strategic autonomy is urgently needed.