The FCAS cake is 100 billion euros. “A lot of money” is at stake in the project, warned Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) in November that decisions should be made so that the development of the fighter jet system can advance to “Phase 2” – and no further time is lost.
A showdown in the consortium and an industrial policy stalemate have been blocking FCAS for months. Dassault claims the baton in the project team, but Airbus is not inclined to reopen negotiated work packages. According to German representation, France wants to involve another – French – group “extensively” in FCAS.
Given these circumstances, Airbus does not want to save the consortium with Dassault and Indra Systems at any price. “Our partner (Dassault, editor) has shown very openly that he is dissatisfied with the agreed work packages in the program and is demanding something that does not correspond to what was agreed,” said Airbus boss Guillaume Faury in October.
If Dassault does not want to continue “in this constellation,” “they are free to withdraw from FCAS.” Airbus managers have long been talking about “irreconcilable differences” behind closed doors. Airbus and Dassault – that has never really fit together.
Common standard, own fighter aircraft
However, canceling the project would send a devastating political signal – Europe wants to pull together on defense and become less dependent on US arms. The FCAS problem therefore urgently needs to be defused.
According to information from “WirtschaftsWoche”, Berlin and Paris are now talking about a “minimal solution”: FCAS could be evaporated from its current form into a common “Combat Cloud” – the digital nerve center behind FCAS – and the necessary software and sensors.
Along this compromise line, a standard would be set on which German and French industry – in separate projects and alliances – could develop FCAS-compatible combat aircraft.
This political trick, for which there is “sympathy” in Berlin according to “WirtschaftsWoche”, could not only prevent future tensions between Dassault and Airbus, but also open FCAS to other European fighter jet manufacturers. On the German side, for example, the integration of Saab from Sweden was recently considered.