Key Points and Summary on FCAS Fighter – The Future Combat Air System (FCAS), Europe’s ambitious sixth-generation stealth fighter program, is in jeopardy as France pushes for a major “rethink” of the project.
-Citing delays and disputes over industrial leadership and workshare with partners Germany and Spain, France’s actions have raised fears that it could abandon the FCAS, just as it did with previous multinational fighter efforts that led to the development of the Rafale.
A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II, assigned to the 421st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, prepares for take off at Kadena Air Base, Japan, July 1, 2025. The continuous rotation of aircraft to Kadena ensures the 18th Wing remains flexible and postured to deliver lethal and credible airpower to deter acts of aggression. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Nathaniel Jackson)
-With the rival UK-Italy-Japan “Tempest” program making steady progress, the FCAS is bogged down in internal squabbles, making its 2040 service date look increasingly unrealistic.
FCAS Problems Are Real
Paris reportedly wants Berlin and Madrid to “rethink” how the three countries divide the workload on the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), a project that hopes to yield a sixth-generation fighter and keep plans on track to press that fighter into service in 2040.
In comments given to Defense News, France’s Directorate General for Armament, the government agency responsible for procurement and technology, explained that it is pushing both Germany and Spain to firm up their cooperation by “strengthening industrial leadership.”
“France, as the program’s lead nation, is proposing to its government and industrial partners that they draw lessons from the first years of cooperation in order to continue to ensure that the schedule is met and the project is successful,” the DGA said. “The principle and details of this redesigned cooperation are currently being discussed with the partners.”
The news comes as a similar initiative, the Global Combat Air Programme, a tripartite initiative involving Italy, the United Kingdom, and Japan, solidified their progress by establishing a joint venture called Edgewing, which lays the groundwork for distributing work amongst the three nations.
That initiative is making significant progress in establishing the design and build phase of the project, with Saudi Arabia reportedly also interested in joining the project, a potential avenue for Riyadh to access an advanced, non-F-35 stealth fighter.
Maj. Kristin Wolfe, F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team pilot and commander, performs the “high speed pass” maneuver at the California International Air Show, Salinas, Calif., Oct. 30, 2021. The F-35A Demo Team performed alongside the U.S. Navy’s F-35C Demonstration Team, showcasing two different variants of the 5th-generation fighter aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Kip Sumner)
No France in FCAS?
Could France end up leaving the Future Combat Air System? It would not be without precedent.
During the 1960s, France was initially involved in discussions about developing a multi-role jet fighter that would equip NATO air forces.
However, friction about the aircraft’s design resulted in the French withdrawal from the project. Ultimately, Dassault, the French aerospace firm, would go on to design the Mirage 2000, a counterpart to the Panavia Tornado.
Later, France was one of the founding members of the European Fighter Aircraft Program in the 1980s. Disputes again arose over the aircraft’s role as well as strategic military independence. France withdrew from that project in the mid-1980s and developed the Dassault Rafale, an aircraft outwardly similar to the multi-national Eurofighter Typhoon flown by the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and Spain.
France’s withdrawals from these and other aerospace programs are a reflection of several factors, but primarily disputes over leadership and what Dassault’s role would be exactly, differences in operational role expectations, strategic independence, and supply chain sovereignty.
A French Dassault Rafale receives fuel from a KC-10 near Iraq, Oct. 26, 2016. The Dassault Rafale is a twin-engine, multi-role fighter equipped with diverse weapons to ensure its success as a omnirole aircraft. The Rafale has flown in combat missions in several countries including Afghanistan, Libya, Syria and now it’s supporting the liberation of Mosul in Iraq. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Tyler Woodward)
There is a firm French tradition of going it alone, particularly in atomic weapons and aerospace projects.
One potential bone of contention would be France’s interest in the Future Combat Air System’s ability to carry French nuclear weapons, an absolute must for the country. On the other hand, the Eurofighters that fly for Spain and Germany are not able to have nuclear weapons, which could be a source of complexity in the project.
More Challenges Ahead
Another issue Defense News reports is arguments over the division of labor between the partners and “governance” over the project, both of which have resulted in delays. These costly pauses have prevented the project from moving to a new phase of design and testing.
Though Future Combat Air System partners maintain the fighter will be in service by 2040, Dassault Aviation’s CEO Eric Trappier reportedly said 2045 was a more realistic year to roll out the fighter.
MORE – A 7th Generation Fighter Is Coming
The French DGA said the FCAS project is one of “unprecedented complexity,” so much so that “a reworking of the division of labor between each industrial player” could be necessary. “Each player’s share of the work is not a given but will be the result of discussions between the partners.”
About the Author: Caleb Larson
Caleb Larson is an American multiformat journalist based in Berlin, Germany. His work covers the intersection of conflict and society, focusing on American foreign policy and European security. He has reported from Germany, Russia, and the United States. Most recently, he covered the war in Ukraine, reporting extensively on the war’s shifting battle lines from Donbas and writing on the war’s civilian and humanitarian toll. Previously, he worked as a Defense Reporter for POLITICO Europe. You can follow his latest work on X.
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John David Hawes
July 19, 2025 at 2:29 am
The French being French. They need to be the lead and have more say. Just like Concorde which they insisted be spelled with an E and demanded their model flew first!