A model of the Franco-German-Spanish FCAS fighter seen at the 2023 Paris Air Show. (Aaron Mehta/Breaking Defense)
BELFAST — As the Berlin Air Show prepares to welcome over 100,000 visitors, what happens next for Europe’s troubled, trilateral Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program and a supporting future fighter jet component at death’s door is sure to be a central theme of the show.
Over 750 exhibitors from 37 countries are expected to display their equipment, according to the organizers, but the New Generation Fighter (NGF), the centerpiece of FCAS, is not scheduled to make an appearance. Its absence from the show comes as Germany and France continue to delay talks on how to proceed, amid a bitter NGF industrial dispute over workshare between partners Airbus and Dassault.
While an exact timeline for the meeting between Berlin and Paris is unclear, Airbus has floated the concept of a two-fighter aircraft solution in recent months, which would end joint cooperation with Dassault.
Adding to the narrative that collaboration between the two European giants is fizzling out and they are prepared to go their separate ways, Dassault CEO Eric Trappier told reporters in March, “We will find other partners if we need to.”
