Overview
Airbus is positioning itself for a range of possible outcomes in the troubled Future Combat Air System programme, including a scenario in which the initiative is split into distinct French-led and German-led fighter projects, CEO Guillaume Faury said in remarks to France's BFM TV on Friday.
Faury said he remains hopeful that a jointly developed European fighter can be achieved, but added that Airbus is preparing for other paths should cooperation prove unsustainable. He reiterated that separating the programme into two different aircraft remains on the table, and he raised questions about how much collaboration on shared systems could endure if the core platform diverges.
The programme and the stakes
The Future Combat Air System is described by participants as a 100 billion euro programme to develop a new fighter supported by armed drones and secure links. The project has become strained by a rivalry between France's Dassault Aviation and Airbus, which is representing Germany and Spain within the programme. Tensions have emerged over how work will be divided and which partners will hold technology rights, creating uncertainty around the programme's structure.
On Thursday, Faury publicly acknowledged for the first time that the central element of the FCAS could be split into two separate fighters that would nevertheless operate under a common framework. In his remarks to the business channel, he outlined a spectrum of options, from a core family of aircraft sharing technology to a full split where France and Germany each pursue independent solutions.
Illustrations and parallels
To illustrate the range of possible outcomes, Faury pointed to Airbus' civil A350 family. He noted that the A350-900 and A350-1000 are distinct aircraft with very high degrees of commonality. By contrast, he said European fighters currently share no common parts, framing that contrast as emblematic of the choices facing FCAS planners.
Implications for industrial cooperation
Faury’s comments underline the question of how far industrial and technological cooperation can be preserved if the programme moves toward a split. He left open the possibility that some systems could remain harmonised even if the central fighter designs diverge, but he did not detail which systems that might include.
Summary
Airbus is preparing for multiple outcomes in the FCAS programme, from a unified, tech-sharing family of aircraft to two entirely separate national fighters, as disputes over workshare and technology rights between Airbus and Dassault threaten the joint project.