French President Emmanuel Macron talks with Eric Trappier, Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation, after the unveiling of the full-scale jet fighter model of the Systeme de Combat Aerien Futur (SCAF), the French-German-Spanish new generation Future Combat Air System (FCAS), during the 53rd International Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, on June 17, 2019. (BENOIT TESSIER/AFP via Getty Images)
MILAN — The Franco-German-Spanish Future Combat Air System (FCAS) has collapsed following the failure of industrial mediation between Dassault and Airbus on several issues, multiple reports said Monday.
According to information reported by Der Spiegel, Reuters, the Financial Times and others, the German and French governments have agreed to terminate the flagship program intended to replace the countries’ Eurofighter and Rafale aircraft starting from 2040. Reports indicate the final decision was made by the German side.
However, as noted by the Financial Times, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has proposed that the partner nations continue to jointly develop the so-called combat cloud communication network. Once integrated, this software architecture would act as the driving force of the project, connecting sensors, radars, drones and other components.