Éric Trappier, CEO of Dassault Aviation, said at a press conference that if Airbus maintains its position of not wanting to work with Dassault, 'the matter is dead.' The FCAS project, announced nearly nine years ago, includes autonomous drones and a combat communications cloud. Dassault claims it should lead the jet component, while Airbus should take a backseat. Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury has suggested splitting the scheme into two separate warplanes.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the planned warplane does not suit Germany's needs because Germany does not require a nuclear-capable fighter, describing the dispute as technical, not political. Trappier disputed this, saying French authorities report similar operational needs. According to The Guardian, Germany might leave the project for Britain's GCAP (Tempest) programme, which is due to take to the skies in 2035, five years earlier than FCAS.
Airbus doesn't want to work with Dassault, full stop. I take note. I never said I didn't want to work with Airbus or with the Germans.
France, Germany and Spain are expected to decide soon whether to move to the next stage or drop the jet. The specific work-sharing arrangement under dispute remains unclear, as does the timeline for the decision.
If Airbus maintains its position of not wanting to work with Dassault, the matter is dead.
Dassault was the selected leader … I understand that Airbus doesn't like that decision but we are making sure that we comply with the contract.
I've heard what the chancellor said. I know that he's now talking about having two planes instead of one. And that could be explained by the fact that there are different operational needs [between the two countries].
My highest authorities here in France say we have similar operational needs and that there is agreement at an operational level.