Germany to decide fate of future combat air system
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Wednesday that a decision on the troubled Future Combat Air System program will be made within days, adding that the political leadership must now determine whether to rescue the 100 billion euro initiative.
His remarks mark the latest turn in a long-running industrial dispute that has stalled what was intended to be Europe’s most ambitious joint defense project. The Future Combat Air System, launched in 2017 by French President Emmanuel Macron and then German Chancellor Angela Merkel, was designed to deliver a sixth-generation fighter jet to replace France’s Rafale and the Eurofighter Typhoon operated by Germany and Spain.
Speaking as uncertainty grows around the project’s viability, Pistorius indicated that the responsibility now lies with top political leaders to chart the program’s course. The announcement comes amid mounting speculation over whether the initiative can overcome persistent disagreements between its industrial partners.
A day earlier, Macron sought to dampen concerns that the program was nearing collapse. In interviews with Le Monde and the Financial Times published Tuesday, he rejected suggestions that the project was finished. Asked directly whether the Future Combat Air System was dead, Macron responded “no.”
“The French assessment is that it is a very good project, and I have not heard any German voice tell me that it is not a good project,” Macron said, adding that he hoped to discuss progress with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Despite that public optimism, unnamed officials have voiced doubts. One source familiar with Macron’s thinking told Politico last week that an announcement terminating the project appeared more likely than a revival.
At the center of the impasse are disputes over industrial leadership and work share between France’s Dassault Aviation and Airbus, which represents German and Spanish interests. Dassault chief executive Éric Trappier has insisted that his company should lead development of the core fighter aircraft, arguing that it alone possesses the expertise required to deliver a sixth-generation platform. In December, Trappier said he was seeking leadership based on Dassault’s capabilities.
German sources have suggested that Dassault is aiming to control as much as 80 percent of the program, a claim the French manufacturer has denied. The disagreement has blocked progress and led to the failure of a December 2025 meeting between the defense ministers of France, Germany and Spain, which ended without a breakthrough.
As the Future Combat Air System remains in limbo, Germany is reportedly examining alternative paths. Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto recently indicated that Berlin could consider joining the Global Combat Air Programme, a rival sixth-generation fighter initiative led by the United Kingdom, Italy and Japan. That project, which aims to field an operational aircraft by 2035, is viewed by some German officials as more advanced and better structured.
Patrick Pailloux, head of France’s defense procurement agency, said this week that efforts are continuing to preserve the joint European program. “We are doing everything we can to try to save this program. We will see how we can achieve that,” he said.
The coming days are expected to clarify whether Europe’s flagship defense collaboration will move forward or give way to competing alliances in the race to develop the next generation of combat aircraft.
